


Evening of the Stars

by acrossatoss



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Communications Arc on, Eventual Romance, F/M, Follows the Anime/Manga plot closely, Love Triangles, One-sided Tsukasa/OC, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Pining, Science, Science Facts in the Notes, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, descriptions of hunting, long form fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:09:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28786218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acrossatoss/pseuds/acrossatoss
Summary: Umeka had accepted that she was the only person left in a world of stone but a series of chance encounters pull her into a grand adventure to understand the strange green light that changed the course of humanity. Although unsure she'll ever truly belong in the world Senku earnestly wishes to build, something about him and his friends makes her commit to the mission to speed-run the creation of civilization.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen & Ishigami Senkuu, Asagiri Gen & Original Character(s), Ishigami Senkuu & Everyone, Ishigami Senkuu/Original Female Character(s), Ishigami Senkuu/Yamaguchi Umeka, Shishiou Tsukasa/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 40





	1. One Life, One Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! As with all my fics, this is a long-form original character fic that follows the plot of the anime/manga closely. In the spirit of Dr. Stone please check the end-note for links to science, culture, and historical facts that appear. This will happen in every relevant chapter. This fic is also tagged mature due to the violence involved in hunting and some language but also in the spirit of the source material, there will be no character deaths. I hope you enjoy it!

Tsukasa had only let the deer live because he now hoped it would fall into one of the traps. He had every intention of taking the beast back to the empire as much needed meat for the rapidly expanding army. But a few kilometers back, the deer happened to wander from the path for a moment; lured off by the sweet smell of nearly over-ripe berries. It then circled back to the path in a half-moon, managing to circumvent a trap by pure dumb luck.

The trap itself was so elegantly laid that Tsukasa briefly entertained the thought that if he’d been running he might not have noticed the finely wound cord pulled taut across the game path. Though he hadn’t touched it to confirm, the shine of the string almost seemed like silk. Well hidden in the brush was the rest of the complicated trap, in three different places stakes had been driven into the soft forest floor. One to the left of the path and the two others lined up on the right. While the left side only held the far end of the cord the right side was far more complicated. Four stakes were driven into the ground with a much thicker rope weaving back and forth between them holding a single bamboo pole in place. This piece of bamboo was bent so tightly Tsukasa was surprised the stress was held off by the other pilon, another piece of bamboo tied to a single stake, a much smaller piece just barely placed inside a rope stake to hold the tense bamboo back, keeping it from snapping to the trail path and impaling whatever animal tripped the wire with a finely sharpened wooden spearhead. 

The delicate work that had to go into the trap, not to mention the cleverness to harvest silk and the mathematical skill that must have been used to calculate the upper limits of the bamboo; it had to be Senku.

And so, Tsukasa was now stalking the deer, curious to see if it would fall into another trap eventually leading a member of the Kingdom of Science out to check only to fall into a trap themselves. Or perhaps, he would find more traps and eventually stumble among an encampment, farther into the woods than he thought they would settle. 

The deer's head jerked up and looked into the distance. Tsukasa didn’t sense anything, no bloodlust or even a breath. The deer also seemed to find nothing, because it continued on its way, meandering somewhat, completely unaware that with Tsukasa nearby it was in its final moments. The deer stopped in a circle of light that broke through the treetops above, its head rising to look into the gentle green-tinted glow and then an arrow whistled briefly and shot through the neck of the great beast.

It was poetically brutal. One short strangled cry and the animal dropped, gasping from its injury. Tsukasa could hear someone approaching from ahead. He could hear the twang of a bowstring, another arrow nocking to put the poor creature out of its misery. Before this loan hunter could finish the job, Tsukasa rushed forward, dragged his knife across the tawny and white throat before him, and then the forest fell into an unnerving silence.

⛮⛮⛮

Umeka was frozen, laying down under a group of saplings at the base of the tree she’d taken her shot from. She’d dropped to the damp forest floor the moment the man had rushed forward. Her stomach hurt from the tension, the man on the path was gigantic, as tall as a young tree, and every exposed piece of skin was tightly framed over muscles. He stood, possessively hovering over the deer—her deer—as he cleaned its blood from his crude stone knife. It had been so long since she’d seen another human the sight of tan skin instead of stone was jarring, it almost didn’t feel real. Her head rushed from the adrenaline, no matter how exciting it was to see a person alive and moving she couldn’t ignore her gut. Her feet were tingling, her heart seemed to be pounding out of time, all of her senses were working at their maximum capacity. A full-blown panic from an overwhelming threat before her. A message to run.

Umeka didn’t move. She barely breathed, trying to force her body to calm down. Though her instincts demanded her to try and escape she knew, logically, that wasn’t the right choice. The deer was a large healthy looking buck and fall was setting in fast. If she lost this deer she’d lose weeks and weeks of dried meat, a pelt for warmth, organs, and bones that could replace worn tools. More worryingly, the way the man stood, long brown hair obscuring his face from view he clearly wasn’t looking for her. This meant he either didn’t care, which the hair standing on her neck indicated was doubtful, or he was waiting. Waiting for her to either come out or to run. And given her fear and the speed he’d fallen on the deer with, she was sure it wouldn’t be a very long chase.

Umeka tried to swallow, rasping her dry throat. Slowly she drew her legs in, getting on her knees and crawling around the back of the tree. She stood, breathing hard, and listened. It was still eerily silent, but she could feel it. A sensation of being looked at, she was sure when she came out from behind the tree her eyes would lock with this mysterious stranger. She pulled her shoulders up tightly and then dropped them back down, trying to shake some tension from her body. Then she nocked a fresh arrow in her bow and quickly stepped from behind the tree.

She was right. As soon as she turned her eyes locked with the man’s own. His eyes were large and brown but they almost looked red in the halo of sunlight. Two jagged black cracks ran diagonally across his surprisingly delicate face, one cutting down his forehead and through his right eye, the other running from the inner corner of his left eye across his nose. She resisted the urge to touch her own, a crack that ran from her hairline to the inner corner of her left eye and then extended from the outer corner down to her jaw and down to the crux of her neck. Some painful stigma from waking up from the stone. 

The man pulled his shoulders back eyebrows raising in surprise, “I haven’t seen you before,” he stated simply, before his eyes darkened again, “tell me, who woke you up?”

Umeka could barely process what he said. She was too distracted by her urge to run, confused by the warmth of his voice and the beauty of his long eyelashes compared to the intense air of danger and the way he subtly adjusted his grip on the knife.

“That’s my deer,” Umeka blurted. She blinked, surprised at herself. The first thing she’d said to another person in eons. The first thing she said to a clearly dangerous person, a man that stood at least thirty centimeters over her, probably more if she got close enough to really judge it.

He laughed. A genuine warm laugh. Obviously amused—offensively amused, Umeka thought. 

Her lips pursed, cheeks puffing slightly, “It’s not funny. I took it down. I was going to kill it you can’t just poach-”

And suddenly he was right in front of her. His large hand gripping her arrow-holding arm at the wrist. She stared at it in shock noticing how swollen his knuckles were. She pressed her lips together firmly to stop their shaking before looking up into his face.

⛮⛮⛮

Tsukasa had a million questions. How had Senku revived someone? Did he have more miracle fluid on hand than he’d thought? Or did he maybe find another cave? If so that would have to be his first objective. If Senku could revive more people, especially if he did so haphazardly, it would quickly become nearly impossible for the perfect society to be maintained. Despite his frustration at her attempt to change the subject, it was amusing. She was surprisingly petulant for a hunter of her skill, even assuming Senku had built the traps. But when she looked up at him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the fear dancing in her dark amber eyes wasn’t fueled by concern for her compatriots but rather confusion. 

He stared down at her silently, her hands were rough and calloused, her skin was obviously tanned from working outside from how it seemed deeper on the bridge of her nose and the height of her cheeks. The most noticeable feature, however, was her hair. It was deep black and incredibly long, a single strand hung in front of her shoulder decorated with beads, and the rest was in a thick braid down her back stopping mere centimeters from the ground. 

“Let go,” She tried to demand, but there was a slight quiver in her voice. One maybe someone else wouldn’t have noticed.

“Enough of this,” Tsukasa said, surprising himself with his frustration, “Where is Senku? How did he wake you up?”

“I don’t know who that is,” she snapped, tugging her captured arm, “let me go!”

Tsukasa kept a hold of her easily, “There’s no use trying to protect him now. Just tell me where he is and this can all be over.”

“I don’t know where he is,” she huffed, scowling up at him, “because I don’t know who he is!”

Tsukasa leaned down, she was a slight, sinewy woman who appeared strong for her size and age but also as if her body had only received the most baseline nutrition it needed for a long time. The confusion in her eyes deepened, setting off a panic.

“If Senku didn’t wake you up who did?”

“I don’t know what you mean, no one woke me up. I wake up on my own every mor-”

“From. the. stone.”

“...what?” she stopped wiggling. Suddenly her fear and confusion seemed overtaken by curiosity. “What do you mean waking up from the stone? Someone else got you out?”

Tsukasa’s hand suddenly slid from her arm. He stayed close, able to grab her at the slightest movement. But instead of trying to shoot him or run, she stayed as still as he was. Staring back at him.

“...yes,” Tsukasa finally breathed, “Someone else woke me up. But that someone…” He couldn’t believe it. Senku and Taiju had woken up themselves, so it wasn’t impossible. But if he was now meeting a third person who’d woken on their own...how many were there like that?

“...that someone?” she echoed, raising a thin eyebrow.

“Woke up on their own. Like you did,” now it seemed like an obvious fact as impossible it had seemed moments ago.

“That’s right,” She said, seeming to regret it immediately after by the way her eyes briefly widened. 

Tsukasa looked back at the deer, and then at the girl, who’s arrow, while still nocked, was now held very loosely. He moved toward the beast.

“H-hey!” she called, shuffling after him slightly as she pulled the arrow back. But Tsukasa could tell she wouldn’t shoot. He bent down and quickly hauled the limp creature to his shoulders and when he turned he was met with a blank, shocked stare and an arrow once again sitting loose against the bow. She must have figured out there was no use shooting at him, surprisingly wise for someone who’d spent most of their interaction pouting.

“Where do you live?” He asked, adjusting the deer on his shoulders.

“W-what?” she sputtered, sliding one foot back.

“We can take the deer there and break it down. I’ll take half and you can keep half. We can share it evenly. I want to know more about you,” he said simply because it was going to happen one way or another.

“...I killed it!” she yelled, her cheeks puffing up again.

“Technically, I did,” Tsukasa said, stepping in so he loomed over her once more, “And if you don’t want to share it, do you think you could take it from me?”

She looked at him defiantly. Somewhere to his left, he felt a presence, a wave of sudden anger. A predator. The girl must have noticed it too because she pulled a thin wooden whistle from her shirt and blew it sharply before dropping it back around her neck. The noise was high and loud, so high Tsukasa felt like he was only just able to hear it. The presence faded as fast as it appeared. It made sense she wouldn’t be hunting alone, there’s no way she could carry the deer by herself. But he was fine letting the teammate stay hidden for now, he was sure whoever they were he could handle himself.

“No. You know I couldn’t,” she grumbled, turning and heading back toward the tree she’d hidden behind, “Fine we can split it where I stay.”

⛮⛮⛮

The walk wasn’t too long, but Umeka was still so tense and unhappy it felt as though it was taking eons. The man beside her seemed comfortable, in fact, it seemed like he was trying his best to be pleasant even though he’d been all but threatening her mere moments ago. 

“What’s your name?” he asked.

Umeka looked over her shoulder at him, frowning.

He laughed, “What? I need to know what to call you.”

Her frown deepened which made him laugh even harder, “You’ll take me to where you live but don’t want to tell me your name?”

“I’m not taking you to where I live because I want to, remember?” She wished the edge in her voice didn’t sound so childish but she was annoyed, disappointed, and still a little scared.

He was quiet for a moment and Umeka turned back around. “My name is Shishiou Tsukasa,” he said just as Umeka had settled into the quiet of their walk.

She didn’t turn this time, instead choosing to look ahead and slightly to the right of the path where she could see Saiyan. His muzzle had grayed somewhat since she met him, but beyond that, the large dog didn’t look too different. His thick upturned ears twisted as she and Tsukasa walked, his mouth hanging open to show long yellowed teeth. He was a large and fluffy dog by nature but she could tell his patchwork black and tan coat was on end. Earlier she’d almost thought he wasn’t going to heed her whistled command. But now, almost as soon as their eyes met he turned and disappeared into the woods ahead, staying just far enough that he might avoid Tsukasa’s keen senses.

“...still not gonna share your name?” Tsukasa probed.

She groaned loudly, fading it into, “Yamaguchi Umeka.”

“Thank you, Umeka,” he said, seemingly unbothered by her complaining, “I’m sorry if I seemed overly gruff before. It’s just...that man I was talking about he’s very dangerous and I was worried you might be working with him.”

Though she hadn’t known him for very long it was hard to believe there were many people scarier than Tsukasa. If he was afraid of this Senku guy she definitely didn’t want to meet him. She could feel him edge closer, he drew a breath like he was going to try and speak but then he stopped. They were nearing her home now. She glanced over her shoulder at him trying to gauge his expression as they stepped into the clearing and looked forward to her house built high in the trees.

⛮⛮⛮

“...How…?” managed to escape past Tsukasa’s lips before he stopped himself, sinking back into silence to take in Umeka’s home. It was built on stilts and trees it appeared she’d cut flat. Other trees grew around it, ropes tied to stabilize the house. All around the bottom of the house was a garden, some crops still holding on or waiting to be harvested. Under the shadow of her home were stacks of firewood, something that looked like a water collection system, and a chest he assumed must hold her tools. None of this could have been done in the months since he’d been awake, even Senku hadn’t been awake long enough to cultivate that full of a garden. “You’ve...how long have you been awake?” He finally asked.

Umeka paused, squinting across the field to a pack of dogs that were slowly approaching hackles up and bodies gliding low in the grass. She shook her head briefly and they all stopped. Then she turned and looked at him, he smiled gently. He genuinely did feel bad for how he’d behaved. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for her, to have woken up alone and been alone for all these years and then be grabbed and questioned by the next waking person she met. She seemed to search his face for a moment, maybe trying to figure out his intentions. He could feel blood from the deer dripping down his back.

“...a long time,” she said, quietly. Her eyebrows furrowing as her gaze dropped to the ground, “it’s been a long time.”

Tsukasa nodded, no wonder she was so defensive of her food. It must be enormously tough to live out here alone. Physical labor aside, having no companions, no one to talk to. It was amazing she was as balanced as she was.

The dogs had drawn closer now. There were seven in total, all large and wolf-like but beyond that their shape and color varied wildly.

“And...who are these?” he looked around the circle, they all seemed distrustful. As though one word from Umeka was all it would take for them to fall on him. Not that he wasn’t confident he could handle it. Umeka must have figured that much out because she didn’t release the dogs. Instead, she waved her hand to them and, reluctantly, they seemed too lax their defensive stances.

“The dogs,” she said, calmly petting the head of a grey female with a black muzzle and black-tipped ears whose orange eyes gazed affectionately into Umeka’s, “and I have worked together for a long time. They’re a family. This is Sailor, she’s the mother.” Umeka scratched the dog affectionately before straightening up to gesture to the others. “The one that was near us earlier is the father; Saiyan,” she said, pointing to the dog with a familiar presence. 

She paused, long enough to draw Tsukasa’s attention, and when he looked at her he saw her staring at him intently. She must have wanted him to confirm he’d noticed the large dog and while he had, he feigned innocence, “Was he?”

Umeka expression flatted, she huffed dismissively and waved her hands towards the dogs, “the long-legged black one with the white chest is Suit. The big fluffy orange one is Sueno, the one with fur like his dad but a build like his mom is Sentai. The long-haired tan and brown one is named Sazae, and that bluish-gray one is Saint.”

Tsukasa blinked, “Are those...all from kid's shows?”

Umeka’s face flushed a light pink scattering over her cheeks and the tips of her ears. Her mouth quivered into a wobbly sort of smile, “Well...I liked them...so...it’s just what I thought of I guess. Come on.”

She avoided looking at him as she marched off under her house where she’d built a frame to clean big game on. Tsukasa stifled a laugh as he followed her, smiling at the gathering redness he could still see on the tips of her ears. He lowered the deer to the ground before carefully lifting it to the top of the frame, watching Umeka’s face as she worked to tie it up. She gathered a knife from her box, a finely polished one that had clearly taken far longer than his jagged tool. When he held his hand out she squinted at him suspiciously, “It’s just the least I could do. You did take it down, after all.”

She rolled her eyes but let him take the knife, and he set about dressing down the deer. Umeka worked beside him quickly; gathering organs into pots to clean later, cutting off sections of muscle, and carefully laying half on a table and wrapping the other half in a nearby skin. She seemed to have calmed down greatly, but maybe she was just focused on her work. Though her fingers were calloused and her fingernails worn short, her fingers were long and deft at the work giving them an air of elegance despite all the labor she must do with them. As Tsukasa continued to steal glances, he felt she was the ideal person to live in the world he wanted to make. She worked hard to provide for herself and the dogs from the land around her. And just as she tended to the plants they tended to her, making use of every part of the animal seemed second nature to her. She seemed at peace with nature and herself and that peace reflected in her face making her seem even more beautiful. The thought surprised Tsukasa and he paused in his work long enough to draw a confused look from Umeka.

“I have a group. A group of people living not far off, I think you would do well with us. More than that I think...we need someone like you. A hunter familiar with the land,” He spoke earnestly, but Umeka’s eyes widened once more in confusion.

“A group? How have so many people woken up and I’ve never met anyone until today?” there was an edge to her voice, a suspicion. 

“I know a way to free people from the stone, I’ve been able to slowly awaken people that could help me, for now. I want to awaken more people later of course, but I can’t do that until we have resources and until Senku is dealt with. I don’t want children or people who can’t fight to be in danger,” it wasn’t a lie, not really, though he thought it best to share the extent of his ideals with her later on. Once she understood she could trust him and that having a group would be better for her.

Umeka frowned into the distance, looking off into the woods, and then to the dogs lounging in the grass nearby, “I-”

One word and Tsukasa could read her answer, “Think about it. I know you have all this built here, and I’m sure if you’ve been alone for a long time the thought of a large group is intimidating but if you joined us you wouldn’t have to work so hard. You could teach my people how you hunt and how you built this garden. Then you would have people to rely on. I’m sure you’ve gotten sick and found it hard to hunt, what happened then?”

Umeka looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowing deeply. She bit her lip, “...I’ll think about it.”

Tsukasa smiled, “I’m glad you’ll consider.” 

With the deer now fully dressed. Tsukasa watched as Umeka began to tie the skins she collected his portions onto a pole for him to carry back. He took a hold of her hand gently before she cold tie the pack closed. Her hand was dwarfed by his own and though he’d initiated the contact Tsukasa paused, looking at their hands for a moment before she drew hers away and set him with another quizzical look, “What is it?”

“Here,” he said, lifting a large portion, “it’s late. Would you mind if we ate this together?”

⛮⛮⛮

She felt like she was losing her mind. Every time she thought they might be close to parting ways he’d found a way to extend it. Maybe it was just a discriminatory fear from how intimidating he’d been before, but, she couldn’t bring herself to trust him. She wondered if she’d feel this way with anyone she’d met. Maybe intense gut-wrenching suspicion was just her reality after years on her own. But her instincts told her that wasn’t the case, that despite his now-gentle voice and the help he was offering there was something she couldn’t trust. 

The sky was a dusty purple and they sat across a fire from each other, Umeka gently turning her portion of the meat Tsukasa had pulled from the pack, “Did you learn all of this through trial and error?”

She frowned a little, unsure of what he meant, “What?”

He seemed surprised, but spoke again, “I mean...did you just keep trying things out until you learned all this?”

“Oh...no,” Umeka said, “My grandparents taught me. I stayed with them a lot as a kid, they lived in a rural area and liked to live in a more traditional way. They raised little animals like ducks and chickens and had a big garden I would help in during the summer. They built most of their structures and tools themselves in the traditional ways, they weaved cloth and wove baskets and all sorts of old school things. So when I stayed with them they taught me so I could help.”

She wasn’t sure why she was sharing so much. She didn’t want to be. But as she spoke about them, she saw the deeply wrinkled tan face of her grandmother and the stark white hair of her grandfather. She’d never found their statues, but that wasn’t a surprise. They lived far outside of Tokyo after all, unlike her and her mother. Suddenly Umeka thought of her mom and her stone form and the way to wake people Tsukasa had mentioned but when she raised her face to ask her breath caught in her throat. For a brief moment, Tsukasa didn’t notice she was looking at him and she saw it. The dark anger on his face as he stared into the fire. 

She didn’t understand. There’s no way Tsukasa knew her grandparents. She hadn’t even shared much about them, and what she had was good. In fact, there was nothing bad to say. By all accounts, they’d been wonderful people, people she deeply missed. He shut his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again his expression was much softer. But Umeka decided not to talk about her family anymore. Her stomach hurt. She wanted to go to bed. She wanted to think over what Tsukasa said to try and figure out why she felt so unsure about him.

He gazed up at the underside of her house. To the middle right there was a latch, the door currently closed but Tsukasa followed the ladder made of wood and rope to where it was secured to the inside of one of the trees; tied off to keep it from flailing in the wind and breaking a rung. “So you climb all the way up? Why a rope ladder?”

“So I can pull it in at night,” Umeka answered, perhaps too short.

Tsukasa’s eyes met her own, “Why? If there’s no one else out there?”

“It makes me feel better. And, obviously, I was wrong. I just didn’t know about you and all the others yet,” She felt strangely defensive of her home now. 

It felt like the inside of her home was the only secret she had left from this man even though she’d only just met him. So when he lightly asked, “Can I see what it’s like?”

She barked out, “No,” too fast and a tense silence settled over them.

Tsukasa’s expression was of genuine surprise; he even looked maybe a little hurt, “I’m sorry if that was too forward,” he said though there was a tenseness to his voice.

Umeka shook her head, feeling embarrassed though she didn’t know why, “No it’s. I think this has just been a lot for me to take in. It’s late you should go back to your camp. Here.”

She was up in a flurry, tying off his packs to the bamboo pole for him to carry. He stood and took it from her when she offered, “I am sorry. I’m just so impressed with you I was curious what it was like in there. I wasn’t thinking about how shocking this must be for you.”

He seemed so sincere and yet, again her instincts set pangs off in her body. Something was wrong or, she forced herself to think, he was simply a man that loomed some forty-five centimeters above her and his physical strength alone was sending her into an animalistic fight or flight. If that was the case it was hardly fair. She just needed time, she needed to think back over the day. She wanted to think more about that intense expression that overcame him when she mentioned her grandparents, and the soft glances she’d noticed him taking while they dressed the buck.

“Yeah,” she found herself saying, “I just…” she trailed off, unsure how to finish her sentence without coming off even ruder.

He seemed to understand. He nodded and took the pole up to his shoulders. He tilted his head towards where the sun had disappeared an hour or so ago, “My group is over there on a cliffside, I’m sure you and your dogs could find it if you wanted.”

She nodded, maybe that was it, maybe it was an offer and she could be done with this. Go back to living as though she was the only person alive like she had been that very morning, “Okay...thanks.”

“I’ll come back by sometime, to check on you and see how you feel about joining us then,” Tsukasa spoke, waiting until she met eyes with him. He spoke gently, kindly in fact, but there was no hint of a question so Umeka couldn’t think of anything to do but nod again.

“Be safe...on your way,” she said, feeling strange and stupid for blurting out such an old-sounding goodbye, but Tsukasa smiled.

“I will, I’m glad we met, Umeka,” he said, and then he walked away from the orange glow of the campfire and off into the woods without looking back.

Umeka collapsed back on to the ground, holding her arms out until Sazae walked over and laid into her. Burying her face into the fine tan fur, Umeka couldn’t say she felt the same.


	2. The Festival Afterwards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umeka meets another stranger and makes a choice that'll change her and the course of the Stone World.

With the last of the sweet potatoes pulled from the earth, Umeka sat back on her heels. She wiped her dirty hands on her pant legs enjoying the cool breeze. It was a good harvest, important as potatoes tended to last nice and long. They tasted different than she remembered, a little firmer and less sweet but they were still as filling and in the late winter. Their subtle sweetness was a great treat. 

She turned her head just in time to see Sueno, the glutton of the dogs, opening his big mouth over the basket of tubers, “No! No!”

But he grabbed one and ran off, waving his fluffy tail as he went. Umeka jumped to her feet and chased him. She wouldn’t be eating the saliva-cover thing now but it was a matter of principle. Sueno noticed her chasing him and picked up speed. There was no way she’d catch him, even though she’d long been accustomed to running in her buckskin shoes and he was a very big boned dog he still had two legs on her. He bounded and played, Saiyan looked on disapprovingly and began to get up, surely about to come and check Sueno back into place. 

“Sueno!” Umeka screamed, “You’re the worst! It’s not like I don’t share you can’t just grab things!”

She growled in frustration and tried to speed up as Sueno disappeared into the woods and then he yelped. Umeka felt a chill shoot up her spine but before she could reach the trees none other than Tsukasa walked out holding Sueno by his scruff. Sueno large as he was, was wobbling in the air like a puppy, kicking his legs with the spud still in his mouth. “Why were you yelling at him?” Tsukasa asked, lowering Sueno to the ground but not letting go.

It had been a few weeks since Tsukasa had visited. For a while, he’d come by very regularly, and while she had wondered what was keeping him she wasn’t upset about it. She’d thought maybe he’d given up on bringing her into the fold. “He grabbed that potato. He knows he’s not supposed to steal food,” Umeka frowned at Sueno but at the same time, she didn’t like Tsukasa’s hold on him. Even if it was for her benefit, Sueno wasn’t some wild beast he was her trained pet. “Let him go, it’s not a big deal.”

Tsukasa’s eyebrow quirked slightly at the demand, but he released him. Sure enough, Sueno tried to dart off with his prize, “Hey!” Umeka yelled.

The dog stopped and looked at her and upon seeing her stern expression let the slimy treasure drop to the ground before running off to the other dogs. Umeka sighed and kicked the potato into the treeline for some forest creature to find and enjoy later.

Tsukasa looked surprised, “You aren’t going to keep it? Why not let him have it then?”

Umeka smirked, “You wanna eat a slobber covered sweet potato?”

“Well...no. But if it’s food and if you won’t eat it-”

“You didn’t have many pets growing up did you, Tsukasa?”

He frowned and stayed quiet for a moment. Umeka regretted bringing up his past. Since that strange look had come over his face when she mentioned her grandparents they hadn't talked about either of their histories. Umeka actually didn't know a single thing about his childhood or his life before the stone, “No,” He finally spoke in a hushed tone, “I didn’t.”

“When I was young I’d help with the chickens and ducks. One duck was very brave and insistent for his food in the morning and I thought it was funny when he put his head in the bag and started eating so I didn’t stop him. Then that duck always did that. And then the others started doing it too. But the chickens were too short, so they’d start pecking at the ducks. Eventually, every morning I’d go out to feed them they’d start fighting and pulling at me to get to the food.”

Tsukasa blinked, “That...sounds really awful. And your grandparents didn’t do anything?”

“They did when I asked for help. But they’d seen and they knew it was my own dumb behavior that brought it on, they just wanted me to learn,” she felt a prickle at her neck, defensiveness again, “my point is, food is a training tool to animals. They have to see you as the one in charge of who gets fed when and how and that they may need to do certain things to get it. I don’t mean like a ton of work but, more like, you know, waiting patiently or going to a certain spot. If they think it’s on them to get the food however they can, things will go sideways for you really quick,” she smiles suddenly, an awkward laugh bubbling out as she spoke, “after all most people can't bare-knuckle fight wild animals.”

Tsukasa huffed and looked away and for a moment Umeka thought she saw a warmth pass over his face, but she pushed that thought aside as Tsukasa settled his eyes back on her garden.

⛮⛮⛮

“Umeka,” Tsukasa spoke, still trying to suppress the sudden rush her near-compliment had given him, “I wanted to ask...if you have any vegetables or fruit to spare?”

He avoided her gaze for a moment, he wasn’t proud of asking. He’d failed to visit for the past few weeks because he’d been looking all around the forest, trying to find anything left growing wild but he hadn’t had much success. When he finally looked at her she was staring at her garden, eyebrows knit in concentration. She was biting her lip and fidgeting her hands but her gaze seemed to wander over the baskets of potatoes and the scant few things left on the vine. 

“What do you have?” She asked suddenly, turning to look at him.

“You mean to trade? We-”

“No, I mean...to eat. So I can know what might help you the most,” she spoke with a matter of fact tone as though sacrificing food she’d worked for didn’t bother her at all but then she sighed, “You know I can’t provide enough for a whole group though, right?”

Tsukasa couldn’t help but smile. She truly was pure of heart, there wasn’t a moment of hesitation in her decision only a concern of not having enough, “No I wouldn’t expect you to.”

Her eyes met his for a moment, washed with a confusing emotion Tsukasa couldn’t peg. A look that made his chest feel tight, and then she turned and headed off toward the storage under her house. Tsukasa followed, watching the way her braid swayed after her. She reached the garden and bent down, cutting a pumpkin's vine with a knife she drew from her belt, “I think pumpkins would be the best. They’ll keep for a while as long as you don’t cut them open, you can eat pretty much everything and you could use the rind for bowls...or...I dunno something. Plus you can roast the seeds for a snack.”

Tsukasa watched as she hacked a good portion of the remaining pumpkins free, “That seems like a lot…” he said, feeling sudden guilt.

“Hmm? Oh well,” she laughed, blushing again and smiling awkwardly, “I don’t really like them that much I just eat them cause they’re good for you.” Suddenly she switched to a sing-song voice, “I just like making snacks outta the seeds.”

Tsukasa’s eyes softened as he watched her work, “Thank you, Umeka, I really appreciate it. We all do.”

This seemed to embarrass her more because once again her mouth twisted into an awkward wobbling smile and her ears turned red, “Really. It’s nothing. You can take some honey too. For the seeds. I mean...you can use it for whatever, I just use it on the seeds. For the...snacks.” Her voice tapered off slowly an even more embarrassed look coming over her face.

“Where did you get the honey?” Tsukasa asked, surprised she’d found something so difficult to collect.

She paused seeming to suddenly recover from her embarrassment. She turned towards the jars and stayed there pretending to agonize over which one to give him. Pretending poorly, Tsukasa thought, by the way she hemmed-and-hawed. 

“Umeka?” He asked, moving to stand behind her.

She snatched up a jar of honey quickly and turned, pushing it up into his chest, “it’s not as hard as you’d think to get honey, you’ve just gotta know where to look and be patient. But it’s good for you, right? So you’ll want it?”

“...sure? If...are you certain you want to give it to me?” Tsukasa asked, frowning slightly. Something about this was making him uneasy. Despite her laugher and gentle blush moments ago she suddenly felt far off, well out of his reach.

“Yes, it’s fine,” She said pushing it once more into his chest until his hands surfed up brushing over hers as he took a hold of the jar. 

He watched her circle back to the garden, rolling the pumpkins she’d harvested together, she hummed thoughtfully, “I don’t know how you can carry all this though...hmm…”

“Umeka,” Tsukasa suddenly spoke, his voice low and earnest causing her to turn around immediately, “Let’s go hunting together, I want to help you bring something in. To thank you for all this.”

⛮⛮⛮

Umeka shifted the bow on her shoulder. When Tsukasa had asked her to go hunting she couldn’t think of a good excuse not to, it’s not like she couldn’t use the meat. If nothing else at least hunting necessitated quiet. It gave her time to think. Why did she hide the hives from him? Was she subconsciously afraid he would take them? Though he’d forced her to share the deer from when they met, he hadn’t taken anything since. In fact, his first few visits after, he’d brought her game fowl and fish. And why had he brought her grandparents up with such an air of judgment? She couldn’t figure out if it was intentional or not, or maybe she was just reading into it. 

Lost in her thoughts, she’d stopped paying full attention to the forest around her. So much so that she didn’t notice the rumbling noise of a creature not far ahead. Tsukasa’s arm suddenly shot out in front of her shoulders stopping her short, “Umeka?”

“Sorry,” she spoke softly, pulling an arrow from her quiver as she leaned around him to look. Despite herself, she gasped. Not far ahead, rubbing its thick furry body against a tree, was a bear. It was huge, probably well over six hundred kilograms. The bear's head was a bright golden color and then the fur faded to brown around its shoulders and black towards its rump. The fur around its neck was long and thick, somewhat like a lion's mane, and the bear was clearly putting on weight for hibernation. Umeka frowned, that meant it was more likely to be grumpy, she thought. Or maybe that was if you woke them. She couldn’t remember but she did remember, “An Ussuri bear…” 

Tsukasa looked back at her, tilting his head, “You think? I thought they lived in Hokkaido.”

“Well...it’s been a long time. Maybe they migrated back down. Or this one did alone,” she said watching the bear meander away from them, “I’ve never seen a bear out here before.”

Tsukasa nodded, and looked after the bear, “I think it’s worth it but...we’ll have to approach carefully.”

Umeka’s jaw dropped, “A bear! We can’t handle a bear like that!”

Tsukasa smiled at her dismissively, “I can but it’ll help if I get around in front of it and you come up behind, okay?”

Umeka thought for a moment, she wasn’t keen on the idea it was dangerous, after all, to take on a bear. In all her time hunting and feeding herself she rarely chose to go after predators almost always sticking to big game herbivores. Not that deer couldn’t be dangerous in their own right, but a bear was on another level. Still, if Tsukasa said he could handle it she was inclined to believe him and the pelt of a bear coupled with the meat could practically keep her through the winter on its own. “Okay,” she finally said, nodding him on.

Tsukasa smiled at her once more, “Don’t let your mind wander again, okay? I won’t be far off.”

She nodded again, a little embarrassed, and Tsukasa was gone.

She walked for a while following the trail of the bear at a distance. Like always Saiyan was following her not far off, he never seemed willing to stay back these days. Maybe it was him that made her unable to trust Tsukasa fully. After all, dogs are supposed to have better senses. Maybe Saiyan knew something he couldn’t communicate so, instead, he always stayed near her to protect her. But then she heard a twig, out of time with her own feet, too far to her left to be Saiyan. She glanced at him, his ears twitching in the direction of the sound, a confirmation that something was approaching. She nocked an arrow, worried the bear was closer than the tracks implied, or worse, that it wasn’t alone. She approached slowly, keeping her knees bent in case she needed to jump into a tree or make a run for it. But the steps didn’t seem heavy enough, and the cadence of them seemed like a two-legged creature. It sounded like a human, but Tsukasa wasn’t so loud, in fact, he barely made any noise when he walked. Creeping closer, Umeka peered around a tree and spotted him.

The young man couldn’t be much older than she was now. He was skinny, with strange spikey hair, the cracks that ran from his forehead to the inside of his eyebrows and down past the inner corners of his eyes made it clear he was yet another person awoken from the stone. He was dressed in a crude deerskin robe, bags hung all around his waist, but it was the writing on his chest that drew her eye. It was messy and a dark rust color. She immediately recognized it as dried blood, and it wrote out some sort of strange math problem, one she must not have gotten to in school yet. She couldn’t think of anyone that would do something so strange except for, “Senku…?”

The man turned to her, one eyebrow raised, and a weird tense smile on his face. He stuck his pinky in his ear and twisted it, “heh, I knew it was a risk to come out here but I didn’t realize Tsukasa’s group was camped so close.”

Umeka blinked. He was being very nonchalant for a man wandering alone in the forest faced with an armed stranger, “They aren’t.”

He blinked at her, “Oh yeah? Then who are you?”

“Yamaguchi Umeka,” she blurted out, shocked with herself and her immediate answer, “You’re Senku, right?”

By the patchy light breaking through the treetops it looked like he was sweating nervously, “How would you know a name like that if you weren’t in Tsukasa’s Empire of Might?”

It was a horribly inappropriate moment but, she snorted. Tsukasa had never called it that to her. And hearing the name now it just sounded so silly. Especially for someone who always seemed so reserved and serious. It seemed to surprise the young man who finally pulled his hand from his head, joining her in a brief comically-malicious laugh, “Hey, I didn’t name it but that doesn’t answer my question.”

She took a deep breath and looked at him squarely. She thought she heard him gulp slightly shifting a foot back, but he kept his face turned to hers staring back at her silently. There was nothing. No sense of danger. No intimidation. Beyond not really saying his name, though to be fair he’d never said he wasn’t Senku, she felt he would tell her anything she asked. 

“Why are you out here?” She said, testing her theory.

“I’m looking for nitic acid, we need it in the fluid Tsukasa used to wake you up. He’s blocking us from the only source we had so...I guess I’m taking a chance looking out here alone.” Again he forced a laugh, which made her give a tiny smile though she tried to hold it back, “Pretty bad idea, huh?”

“So you are Senku.”

“Yeah,” his voice deepened, suddenly serious, “I’m Senku, the guy Tsukasa wants to catch more than anything else.”

“...he’s nearby,” she said, “Tsukasa, we’re hunting together.”

Senku’s eyes widened, “Shit! Are you serious?” he looked around cautiously, a stressed smile breaking on his face. His eyebrows pulled together clearly deep in thought about how he would make out of here. 

“Umeka…!” Tsukasa’s voice suddenly echoed from ahead, just far enough to be out of sight and unable to see them. 

Umeka looked in Tsukasa’s direction and then back to Senku who’s red eyes met hers. He didn’t speak but there was a pleading in them, maybe he was too afraid to speak or too proud. His hands were clenched but shaking, his jaw was tight behind the smile he still had, though it wasn’t a pleasant one, it was interesting that a smile was his response to tension. That didn’t seem like the trait of a fighter or someone with bad intentions. In fact, though she could probably take him down, the thought of taking her as a hostage didn’t seem to occur to him. Maybe he just knew it wouldn’t work but her instincts told her that just wasn’t the way he operated and if she was trusting them about Tsukasa then it was only right to treat Senku the same. At least until she could actually make up her mind. She pulled her dog whistle out of her shirt again and blew a sharp not calling Saiyan over, she leaned to the dog's ear, but held eye contact with Senku, “Take him home. Go quick.”

Saiyan’s eyes shifted between here and Senku, and then he turned and waited. Umeka looked at Senku, who now looked more confused than anything else, “Follow him to my home. Climb the ladder, leave it down, and stay quiet. Okay?”

She couldn’t fully read his expression, his smile didn’t so much fade as soften. His eyes stayed set on hers for a moment before he looked to the dog and nodded.

“Go,” Umeka said shortly and Saiyan shot off, Senku following as best he could. Umeka watched them run through the trees, the sound of twigs snapping making her heart beat faster and faster. The sound was on all sides now, Tsukasa approaching from behind her, and Senku running off toward her home. She couldn’t believe herself. A man Tsukasa had told her was dangerous, moreover, a man Tsukasa clearly didn’t want to trust and she just sent him to her home. She told him to climb into her safe space; the only place she’d managed to keep just for herself since she learned she wasn’t truly alone. It felt like her heart was in her throat, and when Tsukasa’s large hand took hold of her shoulder she jolted and turned around breathing hard.

“...what’s going on?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously. There was a harshness, a coldness to his stare that felt like a threat. 

“I,” her voice cracked, “Sorry you just scared me, I was watching Saiyan.”

“Why is he leaving?” Of course, Tsukasa knew Saiyan had been with them. 

“He hurt his foot, I’m not sure how but he was walking funny and trying to hide it so I sent him back. I don’t think it’ll be a big deal, he’s just getting older,” she surprised herself with the evenness of her tone, the speed of her answer.

It seemed to be working, Tsukasa nodded though his eyes stayed a little more narrow than was natural, his voice was still slow and edged, “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve seemed jumpy today…”

“No I’m…” she didn’t know what to say. There was no half-truth to say there. She couldn’t tell him about Senku, or how nervous Tsukasa himself made her, “I think I’m just nervous.”

It wasn’t a lie, so she didn’t know why it made her feel so bad. Maybe she felt bad from how his head tilted at her, his eyes softening, “why are you nervous?”

“I’m...I’ve,” she swallowed hard, “I think I’ve just been alone for a long time so...you and your group make me nervous maybe more than I thought at first. I must have just been thinking about that.”

Umeka was shocked. It was certainly a kind of truth. Maybe one she wasn’t fully ready to say. Certainly, one that left out major information but still more true than she'd expected.

The truth of her statement must have satisfied any lingering suspicious Tsukasa had because he reached out his hand and placed it on top of Umeka’s head, gently smoothing her hair. When she looked up his eyes had softened completely, “I understand, Umeka. But I’m on your side, the world I want to make would be perfect for you. I just want you to meet my group so you can see that. Maybe you can come soon?”

“Yeah,” she breathed, knowing resistance now would be a big back step, “maybe...ah...the bear?”

Tsukasa nodded, “Let’s go get the bear.”

⛮⛮⛮

For the rest of their hunt, Umeka was quiet and focused. None of the confused drifting and thoughtless movements from earlier. Though Tsukasa couldn’t shake the sense that something was very wrong, he felt maybe he’d finally gotten her to believe that he wanted the best for her. He knew it would take a long time to build trust with someone who’d been so self-sufficient for so long. Tsukasa hadn’t gotten a number from her yet, but he thought she must have been young when she was turned to stone. Then she'd broken free, only a child left alone in the stone world and had grown into a young woman by herself. It would explain her occasional pouty behaviors and the words she hadn’t known when he spoke to her.

He led her to where the bear had stopped, a cave. That’s where he’d called out to her from, earlier when she hadn’t responded. It still felt strange that she didn’t call back, even if she was dealing with Saiyan. She had been in a daze earlier but could it have been that intense that she didn’t hear him? Maybe she would be better off coming to stay with his group if her mind would wander in such a serious situation. He’d have to bring it up to her later. 

Umeka was frowning, “A cave is not a fair fighting ground, maybe we should-”

Tsukasa shook his head, “Shoot some arrows into the cave if it feels attacked it should come out and I can handle it from there.”

Her eyebrow shot up suspiciously, “Really?”

He smiled, laughing slightly, “Yes, Umeka. I’ll get you the bear. I owe you.”

“That’s not a good reason-”

“You need it, and you deserve it, for your help,” Tsukasa said, looking into her eyes before turning back to the cave, “Go ahead, I’ll stay by the mouth of the cave.” And with that, he walked forward drawing his stone sword.

He could hear Umeka take a breath and then quickly arrows flew to the left middle and right of the cave. One drew a great roar and the bear rushed out wildly. Before fear could even pass over Umeka’s face, Tsukasa launched himself at the powerful animals and it fell to the forest floor, heavy and lifeless. 

Umeka came up and stood at his elbow looking at the large still-open eyes of the bear. The soft, “wow,” she emitted filled him with a slight pride he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Tsukasa easily pulled the creature to his shoulders, “Let’s get this to your home.”

⛮⛮⛮

Umeka almost wondered if Senku was even up there. He was dead quiet. There had been no footprints when they came up, even the dogs were all acting calm. A concern she hadn’t even considered until Suit rushed up to greet her.

It took much longer to break the bear down than a deer. Perhaps just because she’d never broken one down before. It had so much to give she found herself tossing meat to the dogs as a thank you for their silence. Tsukasa seemed happy, though she felt he was looking at her more but she brushed it off as a figment of her imagination. A product of her fear that he knew about her secret in the house above them. In the distance the sky rumbled, light flashing as it came down to earth. Umeka stepped out into the field looking at the sky, “it looks like a storm is coming.”

Tsukasa walked up behind her, “And fast.”

He stayed close so she turned to look up at him but before she could make a suggestion Tsukasa spoke again.

“Can I stay here,” he asked, the tone of his voice was innocent. He didn’t look away from her but his eyes surfed over her face rather than staying focused on her own, “just to stay out of the storm, I don’t mean…” his voice trailed off. 

It felt like a lightning bolt had rushed over and shot down through her. Of all the days he’d visited he’d never pressed to go into the house. It had seemed like he understood she’d never want to share that space and that made her fear that he knew. She had no clue how he would, but, why else would he want to go up? She supposed it could just be the storm but if that was the case how bad could her luck suddenly be.

“I’m not…” she spoke, her voice hitching when he furrowed his eyebrows at her sadly, “comfortable…”

“Umeka…” Tsukasa spoke, turning to look at the quickly coming storm before looking at her again, he seemed like he wanted to say something else but he stopped himself. He turned suddenly and looked at the rope and the up to the hatch into the house. Would he run and force his way up? No, that didn’t seem like him but if he did there’s no way she could stop him. 

“I’m sorry…” she mumbled, “I know it’s late and there’s a storm but I just…” she thought of Senku, his tense smile and weirdly comical responses to fear. 

Tsukasa sighed, it was a deep sad sigh. Then he pulled his cloak back on as the rain began to trickle down, “I’ll come back for the pumpkins and honey soon, I’ll be faster without them.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, feeling more guilty than she wanted to.

“It’s all right,” he turned again, placing his hand on her head once more drifting it down to just above her ear and pulling it away just before it touched her cheek, “I hope you’ll be more comfortable with me soon, next time...next time come with me and see my group, okay?”

Once again Tsukasa’s question didn’t feel like it was asking. She nodded. His large brown eyes stayed on her face for a while, so long she felt it growing hot on instinct. He smiled slightly, and then he turned and rushed off undeterred by the rain.

Umeka stood under her house, listening to the rain, that was now pouring, falling all around her. The dogs walked in and circled her, curling up by the fire pit. She bent down and lit it for them and sat by it looking into the flames. But despite the fire, she felt cold deep in her body. Slowly her eyes drifted to the hatch that led into her house. She stood, holding the rope, but she didn’t climb for a while. Instead, she thought about Senku. Maybe he was up there hiding and waiting for her. Maybe she’d climb up and find he’s raided the place and her things would be scattered and broken on the floor. Maybe he never made it at all and the dogs just couldn’t inform her of that. All of these thoughts passed through her head but she wouldn’t know until she climbed. The choice was already made, she couldn’t go back now but she could stay for a moment longer listening to the rain and the crackle of the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 Notes:  
> On Ussuri Bears: Obviously, it's possible these bears would die out but I suppose it's equally possible they'd make a comeback. This bear is assumed to be something like 600kg for imperial friends that's something like 1,300lbs! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussuri_brown_bear  
> Health benefits of pumpkin: https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/6-surprising-health-benefits-of-pumpkin#1  
> And a recipe for honey pumpkin seeds, mostly just for fun: https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2012/10/honey-roasted-pumpkin-seeds/  
> Here's a blurb about this chapter's title "This Japanese proverb literally means "too late!" Even if you regret something, it's too late, so there's no point in moping about it." https://www.tsunagujapan.com/20-japanese-proverbs-that-will-teach-you-a-lesson/


	3. Eating Meals From the Same Iron Pot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senku and Umeka get to know each other over a meal and Umeka finally gets some information to compare her instincts about Tsukasa to.

It took a long time for Senku to recover from the run. Chasing a wolf-dog would have been ten billion percent impossible if the dog hadn’t been looking back at him, slowing when it noticed how he struggled. Had he not Senku would have been lost in the woods, or, worse, found by Tsukasa and killed. Again. He’d barely had time to take in the sight of Umeka’s home, he’d noticed a garden, large storage bins, and a water filtration system. It was crude, more like an old school survivalist structure than anything else, but the science was sound. He’d stopped to take it in, ignoring how the old dog has circled back and nudge insistently at his hip. She’d tied three strong sticks together at the top making a sort of pyramid shape. Then she tied three different cloths to the sticks, stacked in the middle like a series of hammocks. The smallest, at the top, was filled with grass, the next with sand, and the last with a black substance he had to touch to confirm was charcoal. Below it was a barrel, with a cleverly carved lid, shaped like a trapezoid to keep it more tightly sealed and keep the water safer. It was impressive enough to almost completely distract him from the earlier terror. Then Saiyan had barked, and six more dogs slowly lurked from the woods beyond and Senku had quickly climbed the ladder in a cold sweat.

Though the inside of her home was equally interesting, there wasn’t much of a view to the outside, so instead of looking around, he’d sat down in the corner, still breathing hard from his run and the arduous climb up the rope ladder. He had no choice but to trust that this girl wouldn’t be completely illogical and turn him in after directing him to her house. That wouldn’t keep Tsukasa from noticing him though. Senku had seen his senses at work so he sat still, huddled in the corner by what he assumed was her bedding, stark silent.

Then he heard them, talking under the house amid the wet slapping sounds of organs falling to the ground and the acrid smell of an animal’s blood as they cleaned it. Alone in a stranger’s house, he didn’t have to act brave, he was sweating and his hands were shaking despite how hard he clenched them. He didn’t have a fail-safe this time, if Tsukasa found him it was all over. When Tsukasa had asked to come up Senku felt his gut wrench, but he managed to keep himself from moving. He listened to Umeka turning him away and the rain began to pour outside. 

It had been a while now since Tsukasa had left for his camp. Umeka still didn’t come up into the house. While that was making him somewhat nervous he thought it was probably better to leave her. Let her do whatever she was doing. At the same time, he couldn’t just sit around any longer. His legs were tingling from paresthesia, or ‘pins and needles’ as it was commonly called, from having sat still for so long. He stood, groaning and leaning on the wall as he rocked on his feet. The sensation worsening as it finally left his body. Then he straightened and looking around the cabin. There was a large stone slab with charcoal on it, he imagined she was bringing up still burning pieces to heat the room while she slept. Safer than lighting a fire this high up. 

The floor and walls were made of wood, the spaces between filled with clay, the ceiling was thatched bamboo and hay. In one corner a macrame-looking chair hung from a bamboo pole. On the floor by the chair, there was a pile of half-finished carving projects, arrows and bowls, and combs. There were animal furs and skins neatly folded with bone needles still attached to them by strings. It was hard to believe she could do all this in the time since Tsukasa had gone off on his own. And why wasn’t she with his group? How was she able to boss him around? Senku sat in the chair, swinging gently as he thought.

⛮⛮⛮

It felt impossible to climb the ladder. Umeka wanted to go back to her life weeks ago. When she was alone. When she only had to think about feeding herself and the dogs. When the coming winter was her only concern. Now she was stuck in the middle of some strange standoff. She took a deep breath and slowly released it through her nose. 

“Nothing to be done, hmm?” she said, looking to Sailor whose large eyes were watching Umeka carefully, tapped into her anxiety. “Okay...food. We need to eat,” Umeka mused, wrapping the font strand of her hair around her braid and then loosely looping the braid over her neck like a thick scarf. She hung her stone pot over the fire and tossed in some meat from the bear, spices she’d gathered in the woods, chunks of pumpkin, some bones for flavor, and finally water. Probably enough like soup, she figured. She wondered if Senku would like it. Then felt silly for being concerned about that.

Once it was boiling and smelling surprisingly pleasant she hefted the thick chord it hung on and climbed the ladder with one hand, “Senku, are you there?”

“Yeah,” he said back, opening the hatch and looking at her, “ha, another lioness, huh?”

“Uhm...what?” she asked, continuing the climb as Senku reached out.

“Here, I can take the pot,” he said, his palm open to her.

She paused, unused to the help. Then slowly placed the chord in his hand and watched him lurch forward slightly.

“That’s much heavier than I expected,” he groaned, struggling but managing to get the pot up and into the cabin, resting it on the floor.

“What did you mean lioness?”

“Oh nothing, you just remind me of my friend, she’s also crazy strong,” he had another one of his funny smiles. Not so much friendly and teasing, a kind of boyish charm.

“Oh...I don’t think it’s really that heavy maybe-”

“I’m just a wimp?”

Umeka blinked, blushing slightly at how bluntly he put it, “I-”

He laughed again a sharp, honest laugh, his head back, “Don’t worry I am. I know. I made my peace with that a long time ago.”

She smiled, a little awkward from how easily he teased himself, “I thought you might want to eat, it’s not much but-” she stopped herself, handing him a wooden bowl and spoon. 

He took it with a gentle look in his eyes, “Thanks, and thanks for hiding me. Though...you could have warned me about being a full-on Princess Mononoke, I wasn’t expecting to come up on an entire pack of dogs.”

“Her name is San.”

“Yeah I know but,” He shrugged, sitting on the floor by the pot, “you knew what I meant.”

Umeka sat across from him, spooning soup into each of their bowls, “Sorry I was a little busy keeping you alive.”

“I wanted to ask you about that,” Senku said, his voice suddenly serious, “why did you do that?”

“Did you not want me to?”

“Oh no, I vastly prefer continuing to live I just don’t really get why you preferred that too.”

Umeka thought for a moment, she didn’t seem to have an answer. Honestly was the best policy so she answered, “I just felt like I should. You know in my gut.”

“Doesn’t seem like too much of a reason to betray the leader of your group,” Senku said, blowing on his soup, “Do you not like something he’s doing?”

“I’m not in his group, at least, I don’t think I am,” Umeka answered, holding back on the truth just a touch. Tsukasa knew Senku didn’t wake her up because at the time she had to tell him to keep herself safe. Maybe if she didn’t tell Senku she could learn something. She wanted to quiet her suspicions about Tsukasa but Senku seemed to be equally cagey. It felt like he was trying to poke around and get information without revealing much.

Senku stared at her calmly, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, “I see. So that’s why you live somewhere else. And all this,” he gestured to the house, “you did it by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“And that’s why he’s trying to win you over so hard. Cause you’ve got an insane amount of useful skills.”

Umeka felt herself blush despite herself, which Senku softly snorted at, “You think he’s trying to win me over?”

“Ha! I know he is. Tsukasa’s not stupid. I’m sure he knows trying to force someone like you to join him wouldn’t work so he’s trying to convince you instead.”

“Why wouldn’t it work?” Umeka asked, she hadn’t thought about that. She wondered how the others had come to join Tsukasa and what they were like. She’d been so focused on avoiding meeting the so-called Empire of Might that she hadn’t considered what they were like.

“Well,” Senku sighed, shifting his weight and gazing at the ceiling, “because you can, clearly, take care of yourself. I mean if you built this by yourself then you don’t need him for shelter or food like I’d bet most of his Empire does. That,” he said lifting his fist and then raising a finger, “makes you valuable,” he raised another, “and harder to tempt.”

“Tempt?”

Senku nodded, “he can’t bring you to his side with resources if you have access to them on your own so you’d either join because you want to or…”

“...because he makes me,” Umeka finished, suddenly feeling cold.

Senku nodded, spooning his soup around in the bowl, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued to eat avoiding her gaze. His eyebrows creased in thought.

⛮⛮⛮

“Senku,” the girl finally spoke. She set her bowl down beside her and leaned forward her eyes intensely focused on him, “how do you know Tsukasa?”

“...I woke him up, my friend and I were in danger and he was right there so, we woke him up to save our own skins, of course now, that’s backfired,” Senku answered. He didn’t want to lie to her. After all, it would be better for him, for the Kingdom of Science, if she sided with them instead but he didn’t want to strong-arm her into it. He wondered if she knew about how Tsukasa would crush statues or about his goal for the world moving forward. Maybe she’d been kept in the dark, it’s what Senku would do in Tsukasa’s position without knowing her opinion on the matter. Senku couldn’t help but smirk a little, Umeka was probably far more of a challenge than she knew. 

“Why does he hate you?”

“Hate me, huh?” He echoed. He couldn’t help but feel a little sad. He had considered Tsukasa a friend, for a time, even if they were ideologically opposed. 

Umeka seemed to notice the shift in his mood, she quickly added, “I mean...he didn’t say that he just...he called you dangerous so I…”

Senku nodded, giving her a small smile trying to comfort her slight panic, “No it’s okay. You’re probably right. We just...we don’t agree. I want to bring back the world we’re from and...Tsukasa doesn’t.”

“He...he said that the world he wanted to make was perfect for me is that...what he meant?”

“Probably,” Senku shrugged, “and he’s probably not totally wrong. Not everyone can build a house or hunt for themselves. Heh, most people from our time probably couldn’t garden. It took a long time for you to do all this, didn’t it? Since you woke up on your own.”

“How did you-”

Senku grinned, “I don’t know much about gardening but I do understand the process behind it. It takes about one hundred days for pumpkins to grow to maturity. That’s just over three months but it’s not like you could have run out to the store for seeds. You must have found them in the wild last season at the latest harvested the seeds and planted them this season. Tsukasa hasn’t even been awake a full year yet so, you had to have woken up first.”

Umeka blinked at him, “Geeze you’re smart.”

Senku sputtered then burst out laughing, “Thanks, I try.”

“I…,” Umeka took a deep breath, she swallowed hard. Senku looked at her, just as he was about to stop her, tell her she didn’t owe him an explanation, she spoke again, “I was eight.”

“....what,” Senku said, his voice flat.

“When that green flash happened, I was eight. I’ve been awake for I think...maybe nine years?”

Senku had to set his bowl down. He couldn’t concentrate on what she’d said and hold it. She had been a literal child in a world like this and she survived? She’d built a home, tamed animals, and grew a garden. He sighed, rubbing the side of his face, “Man yet another OP monster in the Stone World.”

Umeka flustered, her face pink and her cheeks puffed, pouting, “I’m not a monster.”

Senku laughed, “No you definitely are. A totally awesome one but definitely a monster.”

She frowned more, her chest puffing out, “That’s mean!”

Senku laughed harder, bracing an arm over his stomach, “I definitely mean it as a compliment.”

The blush on her face spread, it made sense, she’d been alone for a long time. She probably wasn’t used to compliments or even talking to someone else, she probably didn’t have a huge vocabulary either given the age she’d been, he’d have to keep that in mind.

“Well thanks, I guess but...don’t call me a monster,” she huffed.

“Sure, sure, I won’t. Princess Mononoke it is,” he grinned.

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress her tiny smile, picking up her soup again and continuing to eat. 

They stayed like that for a moment. The only noises in the room were the thumping of the rain above and their wooden spoons scraping on stone bowls. 

Then Umeka took a deep breath and looked up at him, an earnestly worried look on her face, “Do you know what kind of world Tsukasa wants to make?”

Senku paused, meeting her stare, “Yeah. You sure you want to hear it from me?”

She nodded, “I don’t feel like I can trust him and...I don’t know why but maybe if I hear it from you and him I can make up my mind. You know?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, “He...wants a world without weapons. Tsukasa thinks older people are people with power who aren’t thinking of the good of the whole society so...he doesn’t want to revive them. I guess that’s the big difference. He wants to pick and choose who gets to live in the new world and I think we should wake everyone up.”

Umeka went quiet. She pressed her lips together tightly and balled her hands into fists holding the fabric of her pants. Her eyes seemed to tremble, dangerously close to crying. Senku shifted toward her nervously, “Hey it’s...it’s okay.”

She sniffled, rubbing her nose, “No, I know. That makes sense. I mentioned my grandparents to him once and he seemed...mad? So he just doesn’t like them because of their age. That doesn’t make any sense.”

Senku rested his hand on the back of his head, “No. It really doesn’t. Heh. That’s why I’m not gonna let him win.”

She smiled a little, “You could barely lift that stone pot. How are you going to fight him? He killed the bear you’re eating, you know?”

Senku laughed bitterly, “Not shocking at all. But science evens the playing field so my friends and I will just spam that until we get everyone on our side.”

“What do you mean?”

Senku grinned at her again, “I want everyone to join us. I’m not interested in killing people I don’t agree with being a bully. I’d rather just get people on the same team. If we have everyone we can build something awesome. We have a chance now to rebuild all of the awesome things science gave us and avoid making the mistakes our ancestors made before.”

“That sounds nice,” she said, a small smile on her face, “You seem nice.”

It made him nervous. He’d never been good at dealing with compliments like that. He preferred to joke his way around them, “Ha. Hardly. I just selfishly want to get back to my old hobbies.”

Umeka stood, putting their bowls and spoons in the pot and then lifting it and going to the hatch, she took the first few rungs down so only her upper body was visible, “Liar,” she said, grinning as she descended out of view.

⛮⛮⛮

Their conversation hadn’t so much answered questions as replace them with new ones. If Tsukasa wanted to pick and choose who got to live she couldn’t side with him. But if Senku wanted to make the world like it was, would she fit in? She barely remembered what it was like back then and she was just a little kid. But it was the world her grandparents and mom knew so she owed it to them, didn’t she? 

Her head was rushing from these thoughts as she gathered coals for upstairs. She pulled another pile of blankets and skins for Senku. The rain was still pouring and judging by the deep black of the sky it was late at night now. He’d have to go home in the morning. Get away before Tsukasa inevitable came back.

She didn’t know how she’d act around him now. She couldn’t let on that she knew what he wanted. If she did, he’d know she met Senku or at least someone from Senku’s group and that could be dangerous. Senku made it sound like Tsukasa wouldn’t give it up on trying to bring her to his side and if he was right she’d have to leave behind her home. Start over somewhere else but that would mean giving up nearly a decade of work. 

She sighed tossing the fabric over her shoulder and climbing back up the ladder, met at the top with Senku’s outstretched arms, pulling the bedding from her shoulder and into the room, “Afraid of lifting the pot again?” she teased.

“Mm. I thought if I didn’t pick it up you wouldn’t tease me this time,” he smirked.

“Oh sorry,” she laughed. 

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to stay?”

“Yeah, Tsukasa doesn’t come here at night. I’ve never let him come up into my house so even if he did I don’t think he’d just come in. You’d have to be crazy unlucky for him to suddenly do all that in the rain too.”

Senku deadpanned, “Trust me, crazy bad luck isn’t unusual for me.”

Umeka giggled slightly at his expression and shut the hatch. She set a lock and put the stone plate on it. Then she poured the glowing orange coals onto it, “Well if he does decide to pop by he’ll be unlucky too.”

Senku laughed but there were beads of sweat on his forehead, “Brutal.”

She shrugged, “We’d probably both die otherwise, right? If he’d kill you, he’d kill me for helping you.”

“Yes and maybe,” Senku said, straightening out his bedding, “He might let you live, Princess Mononoke.”

“Just call me by my name please.”

“Oh right, San, sorry.”

She laughed surprisingly hard. Hard enough that Senku laughed with her, or maybe at her for being so amused. He’d settled into his bedding but he was still turned to face her. She smiled, her laugh slowly tapering off. 

“Hey...Senku,” Umeka said, laying back in her blankets and turning her head toward him, “Thanks for answering my questions.”

“Sure. Thanks for...keeping me from dying.”

She turned her head again, staring at the ceiling in the ever dimming glow of the fire, “Senku?”

He hummed a sleepy tone from across the room, clearly close to falling asleep.

“Can I show you something tomorrow, before you go home?”

“...Yeah,” he yawned. 

She thought about asking him a million other questions. She realized she didn’t ask enough about him. How he woke up Tsukasa, or who his friend was, or how he was gonna rebuild the world. She sat up, turning toward him but even in the dim glow of the coals, she could see his chest rising and falling slowly. She sighed and laid back down. Maybe tomorrow she could ask him. It didn’t feel like she was going to be able to pull away from this now. She’d have to pick a side. Maybe their trip in the morning would make that easier.

⛮⛮⛮

Senku woke up first, the sun managed to hit his eyes through the cover hanging over the singular window in the cabin. He groaned sitting up, rubbing his eyes. His body ached from the running and climbing of the day before reminding him of the first few weeks in the wild on his own. 

On the other side of the cabin was Umeka, her eyes shut peacefully, lying on her side with the fur she slept under clutched closely to her chest. Her breathing sounded more like gentle sighs. Senku smiled slightly to himself, and carefully got up. He picked up the heavy stone plate and set it aside, slide the lock on the latch, and opened it, climbing down. When he got to the bottom the large orange dog growled, he advanced at him for a heart-pounding moment and then Saiyan snapped at him and he receded. The others all watched from where they were laying, except one. A long brown-haired dog he came and rubbed her body against Senku’s leg, “Hi,” he said, petting her head, “So you’re the friendly one, huh? Do me a favor and make sure I don’t get eaten while I make breakfast.”

He looked to the storage boxes, a small bin held herb and small vegetables, a basket to the side of the box had eggs, all organized neatly. He couldn’t help but smile, “That’ll do.” He pulled a small piece of flint from his bag and lit the fire, setting a flat piece of stone on the frame above it. Once it was hot he cracked an egg, tossed some salt from his bag on it, and threw in the herbs he found in her box. Just as he was finished he heard a loud gasp, then a thump, and suddenly Umeka’s head dropped through the hatch, he gave her a quick wave.

She huffed, “I thought you got nabbed!”

“No nabbing, just hungry,” he called back, grinning a little. 

She climbed down the rope and looked at the plate, a small smile on her face, “Thanks…”

“Who said I was sharing?”

She deadpanned, making him laugh. He slid two eggs into a bowl and passed it to her. She sat, cross-legged on the ground. The large orange dog nosing at the side of her head. 

Senku flopped down in front of her, “What’s that one's name?”

“Oh,” she said, her face turning red, “It’s...uh...Sueno.”

Senku blinked, his expression flattened. He tried to hold back a snicker. “Like...from Doraemon…?”

Her cheeks puffed and she mumbled, “Yes...like that.”

A breathy giggle escaped his mouth before he managed to press his lips together to stop himself, “Because he’s-”

“A jerk, yeah.”

They look at each other and laughed.

“I loved that show, you must have been a teenager why were you still watching it?” She asked.

“Heh, cause I was lame,” he said. He finished the last bite of his food and set the plate down. “Wanna show me what you mentioned last night? I should get back to my friends soon. I’m sure they’re freaking out.”

She nodded, hopping up, “Sazae, come,” she called to the brown dog that had rubbed again Senku’s leg earlier.

Throwing her bow over her shoulder and strapping the quiver to her belt, Umeka headed east out of camp, “We won’t have to go far.”

“That’s great news,” Senku called behind her. 

She smiled over her shoulder at him and walked into the woods. She was quiet. The was a solemnness in the way she moved, like someone approaching a temple. So Senku mirrored her, taking in the woods around them. Giving Umeka the space she seemed to need. They walked through the early morning haze until they came to a small clearing, one that looked man-made to Senku’s eyes. In a spot of sun in the middle of the clearing was a stone woman. It looked like she’d been trying to kneel, the way her knees were bent and her chest was angled, her arms were outstretched. Her head was turned, looking just over her right shoulder, her face stuck in a look of shocked horror. Though of course, her entire person was now the dark blue-gray of the stone, her long straight hair was hanging in a curtain around her head, gently flowing down her back. Her eyes were large, the upturned outer corners made her look kind. The cupid’s bow of her upper lip was pronounced and her cheekbones were high giving her face a sort of heart shape. It was like looking at Umeka cast over in stone. 

Umeka was smiling despite the sad look in her eyes, she brushed leaves from the woman’s head. Then settled back and looked into her face before turned to Senku. “This is my mom.”

Senku nodded, his heart felt heavy. He knew what it was like to lose a parent, but to have her right there at the same time must be beyond painful. He nodded, looking her over. The ground around her was tidy, the underbrush cleaned away. Umeka must have been keeping the area clean, like a shrine to her mother since she found her.

“Could you bring her back, someday?” Umeka asked, her voice quiet. 

“Definitely. We’re not gonna leave anyone stuck in that stone. I ten billion percent promise.”

Umeka’s smile spread, a relieved look spread on her face, “Thank you, Senku.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “You don’t have to thank me.”

She shook her head, “I do. Now someone else knows mom’s out here and…” She took a slightly shaky breath, “I feel like I can trust you which is nice.”

Senku smiled looking up at the sunlight that shined through the trees above, “You probably just feel like that because you could absolutely body me.”

She laughed, shaking her head.

“So you know that slang? What kind of second-grader were you?”

She laughed harder, her mood lightening and relieving Senku’s tension. “You should go back to your group,” she patted the dog lightly on the head, “Sazae will go with you to help and protect you, ya know if needed.”

Senku raised an eyebrow, “And then she can guide you to us, right?”

“Right,” she smiled.

“Yeah...okay,” he sighed, “I guess I’ll see you around, Princess Mononoke.” He ignored her groan and he headed in the general direction of the village He turned back just before he completely lost view of her in the trees. She’d focused on her mother now and he could see her mouth moving. The sun reflected off a small tear that ran down her cheek, Senku turned quickly to give her privacy. He looked down at the dog that trotted beside him, tongue happily lolling out of her mouth, “Do me a favor and make sure she visits soon, huh?” The dog huffed, forcing her head under his hand and staying there the whole walk back to the village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 notes:  
> tripod water filters: https://www.outdoorlife.com/how-to-build-tripod-filter-to-purify-water-afield/  
> On paresthesia: https://www.webmd.com/brain/paresthesia-facts#1  
> Pumpkin growing: https://www.gardeners.com/vegetable-encyclopedia?id=7237#:~:text=They%20need%20warm%20weather%20and,before%20the%20last%20spring%20frost.
> 
> This chapter's title: "This Japanese saying means strengthening the sense of belonging to a community or a group by eating the same meals. It also refers to a situation where people share the same home and their lives together." https://www.tsunagujapan.com/20-japanese-proverbs-that-will-teach-you-a-lesson/


	4. Jumping from the Kiyomizu Stage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umeka's backed into a corner and finally has to choose between the Kingdom of Science, the Empire of Might, or returning to her life of solitude before that fateful meeting in the woods.

Umeka didn’t stay by her mother much longer after Senku left, just long enough to clear the fallen leaves from her feet and tell her a little about her life lately. Once Sazae returned she’d have a route to Senku, his friends, and the village they apparently lived in. Maybe she would visit. He’d been kind and funny. Most importantly, if there was a way to wake her mother one day she owed it to her to try and get it. 

She thought about her mother and Senku’s strange sense of humor until she reached the edge of the forest. Looking up toward her home she saw a familiar shape, Tsukasa. Her stomach churned. If he’d noticed her yet he didn’t let on so she froze just at the treeline. She’d have to act as though she didn’t know the truth, about Senku, or the world Tsukasa wanted to make which was easy enough to say but once he looked at her with his dark hawk-ish eyes she was afraid she’d break. Afraid he’d find out something that would endanger her, or worse poor Senku who couldn’t lift a stone pot.

Tsukasa’s face turned toward her and he settled back, waiting for her to approach. She breathed deeply and stepped into the clearing. He didn’t meet her in the field or urge her to rush on. Instead, he stood calmly in the dark shadow of her house his eyes low and serious. Once she was in earshot he called, “Where have you been, Umeka?”

“Why?”

“...what?”

“Why do you want to know where I was?” Umeka frowned, prickling at how he’d asked. As though she owed him an explanation.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, an apologetic look on his face, “I was just curious where you’d been, that’s all.”

“...Oh,” she swallowed, setting down her bow and unclipping her quiver, “just off for a little hunt.”

“Is that why Sazae isn’t here?”

Umeka was lucky she hadn’t been facing him because her expression would have betrayed her fear. She managed to temper it back into a small smile before she turned to him, “Yeah, she’s off chasing down a small rabbit I didn’t want to bother with. Sometimes they’ll do that, just go off on their own.”

“Ah,” Tsukasa said, leaning his head back slightly and looking down at her, “I haven’t seen that yet then.”

“...Guess not,” Umeka nodded, brushing past him to get a drink of water, anything to break the eye contact he kept holding with her.

“Is everything okay? You’re acting kind of strange. Did my request last night upset you that bad because I really didn’t mean anything by it,” she didn’t turn to face him but there was something in his tone. A chilling clarity just inside the pleasant notes of his voice made it clear he knew the answer to that question. It made her worry he knew something else. Her eyes flashed wide. By the water barrel in a small bucket was the leftover dishes from their breakfast. Two bowls, two spoons. Evidence she hadn’t eaten alone if Tsukasa gave it any thought. She turned, putting her leg in front of the bucket and looking up into his face.

“No, thanks for asking though, I’m okay,” she sighed, holding her arms across her chest to keep them from shaking, “I guess I’m a little on edge today. It happens sometimes when winter is coming.”

He smiled, handsome and easy, but the look in his eyes stayed coldly focused despite his best efforts to disguise the look with friendliness, “Well, I think today is as good a day as any, I think you should visit us.”

Umeka wanted to protest but she remembered, she’d promised she would last night. A last-ditch effort to keep Senku guarded against Tsukasa. She looked down, “Okay.”

Tsukasa’s hand reached out taking hold of her shoulder and waiting there until she looked back at him. He smiled, a genuine gentle smile that suited his beautiful face even though it couldn’t belie the fear that had settled in Umeka, “I’m excited for you to see it. Bring a dog, bring all the dogs, if you want. Whatever will make you feel comfortable there.”

She nodded, “I’ll just bring Saiyan, I don’t want to be too scary.”

He laughed but didn’t say anything else. He just turned to gather the supplies he’d abandoned the day before into a crude bag he’d brought. She watched him, stroking the top of Saiyan’s head to ease her nerves. “I’m ready, are you?”

She blinked, “Yeah, I am.”

“Oh...you don’t want to bring anything?”

“Well...I won’t be staying.”

He frowned and tilted his head at her, “It’s a good ways away, you probably could have gone there and come back if we started in the morning that’s why I came here looking for you. If you don’t want to bring one though I’m sure we can gather something together for you to sleep in-”

“Or I can visit another time.”

He was silent. Staring at her, she could see the muscles in his chest tense, “Umeka-”

“No,” she said, surprising herself with the volume, “I’m going to come back to my home I’m just meeting them, I don’t want to stay there.”

His eyes widened in surprise, his head tilting back briefly before he smiled easily again, forcing a small chuckle, “No...of course. I’m sorry. I keep forgetting how long you’ve been on your own. This is a big step for you anyway. I’ll try harder to remember that just. Please still come today, okay? And if you feel comfortable and want to stay then you can and if not, I’ll walk back here with you.”

She didn’t want him to walk back with her. She didn’t even want to visit. But she knew she’d pushed enough for now. And she desperately wanted to get him away from camp, further from Senku who was probably still traveling with Sazae. She nodded, pulling her bow back to her shoulder and reclipping her quiver, the only things she’d bring with her.

⛮⛮⛮

The silence of their walk was grating on Tsukasa’s nerves. She’d been strange yesterday, so distracted with whatever she had on her mind. Now she seemed angry; like she was being dragged on a family vacation she didn’t want to go on. Every time he looked at her and saw the gloomy expression on her face, the downward turn of her mouth, he felt a pang in his chest. He didn’t know what he could say to comfort her, and he certainly didn’t know what he’d done to make her so angry with him if she even was.

“Is something wrong?”

She busied herself climbing over a log and didn’t look at him, “No, I’m okay.”

And then the silence fell again. Maybe he was reading too far into her actions. It was possible she was just nervous and he was sensitive to it. He wanted her to love the camp and choose to stay there. At the moment there wasn’t much camaraderie among them. There were strong, admirable warriors there but no one like Umeka. No one he wanted to spend his free time talking to. If she joined them then not only would the quality of the camp as a whole be improved by her knowledge but he’d be able to learn more about her. He could share meals with her, see her off to bed and early in the morning as everyone rose with the sun. He’d warned the others to be on their best behavior, advised them at it was in their interest to ensure Umeka joined them. Now he felt like he was the one who misstepped and he wasn’t entirely sure how.

“Are you nervous?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “A little. I guess.”

“Don’t worry too much about them. I’ll be with you the whole time,” he said, offering a hand to her as she climbed down an embankment. 

She didn’t take it, she merely hopped down, looking back as Saiyan did the same, the dog circling back and taking close to her side, “Don’t worry I haven’t been this way before but, it’s not my first time in the woods.”

He turned, “Right.” He sniffed, the sensation in his chest returning in unalarming but uncomfortable pangs. Feelings he remembered being described in dramas on tv. In all his time in the old world, he’d never had a friend, so, of course, he’d never had a girlfriend. He’d been focused on training, being the strongest so he could win money for his family. So he could save Mirai. But this world was different, he was the strongest here, and there was no money to earn. No family to support. He hadn’t even found their statues despite how hard he searched the face of every little girl hoping to see the soft eyes of his sister. Even if he never found her, he could build a world that would have been kinder to her. A world where he’d have time to build relationships he’d forgone before. He wanted it to be Umeka. He’d realized that weeks ago now and the feeling kept eating away at him. Desperate to be out and known, to be honored. It was getting hard to hide it from her, it drove him to reach for her when he could. It was why he’d touched her for the first time, smoothing her shiny black hair and making his own heart beat fast.

He had every intention of telling her today when she visited but now she was acting strange. She felt colder than she had been when they first met and he realized the awful twisting feeling in his chest might be fear, a feeling he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

“We aren’t far now,” he said, keeping his eyes forward.

“It’s not as far as I expect then,” her voice was even and calm, but there was no glint of happiness in it. No little laugh or melodic tone.

“I think we might throw a little feast since you’re our first visitor,” he said ‘they thought’ but it was already planned. A surprisingly clever suggestion from Minami who had been tempted to help by the concept of Umeka’s more comfortable living arrangements. 

“You don’t need to do that,” she said, her voice quivering with discomfort that made him turn around and look at her. She’d stopped, frowning at him as her hands clutched her bow at her chest.

“It’s nothing huge,” he said, a small laugh in his voice, “there’s not gigantic ‘Welcome Umeka’ banner, just a simple meal all together so you can meet everyone. We had to thank you after all, for the food we’ve gotten from knowing you.”

Her frown lessened slightly, she nodded and continued to walk, but her hands stayed clenched on her bow. He cringed, he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He wanted her to feel welcome, to be happy with them. No matter what, she had to join them. He had to do everything he could to make it her choice rather than his. 

⛮⛮⛮

Tsukasa’s group had made their home in the side of a mountain. It reminded her of a honeycomb, many little pods with no connection between them but to go back outside. It didn’t look very warm, or harmonious, or comfortable. The majority of the people milling around were burly adult men, the kind of scary-looking men that always made her hide behind her mother’s leg in the past. She found herself hovering closer to Tsukasa, he was frightening but at least he was familiar. Saiyan moved to the other side of her protectively, so close his fur brushed against her pants leg.

“Is this the girl you were telling us about?” A blonde woman in a dress and horn-like headband asked.

Tsukasa smiled, “Yes this is Yamaguchi Umeka. Umeka, this is Hokutouzai Minami.”

Umeka nodded in greeting, feeling herself shrink in. The woman blinked, tilting her head and furrowing her eyebrow in concern at her which only made her more nervous. Tsukasa’s large hand suddenly pressed on her back, making her straighten and look up at him, “Take your time,” he said, smiling down at her gently. 

When Umeka looked back at Minami she looked strangely hurt, still looking at Tsukasa, but when she caught Umeka looking at her she smiled, “Tsukasa says you’ve got an amazing house and,” she glanced at Saiyan, “he mentioned the puppies too. That’s insane. I would have loved to interview you in the past.”

“Interview me?” Umeka parroted. 

“Oh…” She flushed, “I assumed you remembered me from the past. I was a reporter. I was a good one, did you not watch the news much? Ahhh teenagers, living free, not a care in the world. Tsukasa only knew who I was since I interviewed him before.”

Umeka blinked up at him, “Why?”

He seemed genuinely surprised, and then embarrassed, “I-”

“What! You don’t know who Tsukasa was? The strongest primate high schooler? He was an amazing mixed martial artist, he won tournament after tournament, he had fans all over, beat famous adults. It was a seriously huge deal.” Minami exclaimed, her flattering compliments making Tsukasa glace away uncomfortably.

“I...uhm…” she felt bad, she didn’t really want to share more about her truth to Tsukasa, not when she was so uncertain about even being involved with him but under his clear discomfort with Minami’s compliments, he looked like it hurt his feelings that she didn’t know and her knee jerk response was to explain, “I was a kid. My mom...she didn’t like me watching fighting and stuff and I didn’t watch the news.”

Minami and Tsukasa both stared at her. They looked shocked and confused and Umeka swallowed dryly. Glancing between them, “Uhm...is that okay?”

“Are you being serious right now?” Minami asked, squinting at her and leaning in.

“I’m...not a good liar,” Umeka admitted.

Tsukasa chuckled softly, “I knew you were amazing but that is hard to believe.”

“Tell me about it! A little kid living out here alone? That is exactly the sort of rags to riches story that-”

“Minami, would you mind getting everyone together, I think it’s about time to eat.”

The blonde blinked, she seemed a little affronted at being cut off and sent away but she nodded, not saying anything else as she headed away. Tsukasa passed his load of supplies to someone passing by, pointing to the fire. 

He turned back to her, “Can I show you where I stay?”

Umeka nodded, “Sure.”

He turned, walking toward the mountain face, talking as he went without looking into her eyes, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were so young when you woke up. I had figured you’d probably been awake a while longer than me but even then I was thinking you were a teenager when you woke up.”

“Oh no. I mean. I am. I’m a teenager now,” Umeka floundered, apparently she blabbered when she was nervous, something she’d never had the chance to learn before, “I was...eight.”

Tsukasa turned back to her, eyes briefly wide, “You’re serious.”

“Mhm,” she nodded. The corner of her mouth tugging into an awkward smile.

His eyes returned to normal, softening, “You just keep getting more impressive.”

Umeka squeezed her bow, she was still holding it. She wasn’t sure what to say so she didn’t say anything. Instead looking down at Saiyan who, sensing her, looked up patiently. She smiled, petting his head. 

⛮⛮⛮

Tsukasa watched her for a moment. She was calmly petting the dog and smiling gently. Then he turned back, continuing to walk toward the entrance to his home. He had to keep moving or he might say something and it didn’t feel like the right time.

He let the silence hang, using the time to ponder over her age. It explained a lot about her nervousness. She wasn’t used to being treated as an adult or talking to other adults. She’d matured because she had to in order to manage herself and survive alone in the wilderness, but socially this was more difficult than Tsukasa had originally imagined. In some ways, it set his mind at ease. She wasn’t mad at him, she was just nervous and hadn’t wanted to explain yet. Armed with that knowledge he’d be better able to ensure she liked her visit. He’d just have to be cautious about who could interact with her. He’d be able to keep her safe and help her slowly adjust and, surely, once she’d spent some time talking to others her nervous quiet would melt away and everything would be fine.

Approaching the entrance, he turned back to her, “It isn’t much. Not yet at least. But come on in.”

Umeka walked in, her eyes squinting as she adjusted to the darkness of the cave as opposed to the brightness of outside. Her eyes surfed over his bedding in the back and the small charred sticks he used as a fire. She focused for a long time on the line of weapons he had in the back. Handmade swords and clubs and axes. Then her eyes fell on his chair.

“You...have a throne?” she asked, her voice bitingly doubtful.

“Well...I wouldn’t call it that,” Tsukasa offered.

“Why not?”

He blinked. Looking at her. It was strange how afraid she could seem one moment and how uncomfortably blunt she could be the next. Her eyes seemed unusually stern, set on him harshly. Disappointed, he realized, “Don’t think too much of it, Umeka. It’s just a chair I made for myself to sit in while we plan.”

“Plan what?”

He huffed a short uncomfortable laugh and stepped away from her, “What we have to do for winter. What we have to do about Senku. And how we can do what we must safely.”

Umeka held his gaze, then her eyes moved past him to his chair. She stared at it for a long time as something in her expression changed like she’d made her mind up about something private. She set her shoulders back and turned her face back to Tsukasa, “I want you to tell me what you want to do. If Senku is dangerous...what’s better about the world you want to make?”

He was surprised she asked flat out, but he was glad she was interested, he stepped toward her, hovering close but not so much that he loomed over her in the dim light from the cave entrance, “I’m going to make a world without the power dynamics we grew up with. I’m sure you’d seen it, even if you were little. People didn’t take you seriously because you were a kid. Old people with money and power called all of the shots and, while you hadn’t probably experienced it yet, the decisions they made ensured it would be harder for you to have any wealth or influence. Umeka, in the world we come from, we were all being backed into corners to make more money for people who already had enough. We have a chance to avoid that manipulation and destruction now. Young people don’t expect power or influence over anyone else, that’s who we need to build a new world. People exactly like you, strong, giving people. The kind of person that gives out pumpkins because they know others are hungry.”

Umeka was quiet for a long time, her eyes moving around slowly as she thought, not focusing particularly hard on anything she looked at. When she finally looked up at him his heart sank, her eyebrows were furrowed in concern her mouth pulled into a doubtful frown, “I got bullied by kids who thought they were better than me, you know? In the past. They weren’t nice just because they were young. And...my grandparents were really great and they were old. You can’t just-"

“But we can teach children to be better. They’re just products of their environment. They won’t come to this world trying to build the old one because they don’t understand it well enough to do that. This is an opportunity for real change.”

Umeka’s eyes held his own for a while and then slowly drifted to the chair, still and silent, her hands grasping her bow.

⛮⛮⛮

That was it then. He said it himself. Senku hadn’t misrepresented Tsukasa at all when he told her the plan. While it was nice to know he really wasn’t a liar, she wasn’t sure how she was going to handle Tsukasa. It wasn’t like she could keep him from coming around if he wanted to, even with the dogs he had a whole army there was no way she could fend them off. Maybe he’d just back off if she asked but it was also entirely possible that he’d consider her an enemy and what would happen then?

“Here, Umeka,” Tsukasa said, holding out the leg of some bird. 

“Thanks,” she nodded, taking it and biting off a small bit. 

Everyone was gathered around different fires eating. It was loud with so many different conversations happening but everyone did seem to be having a good time. Tsukasa had invited Minami and two others, a white-haired man with narrow eyes named Hyoga and a girl all in pink named Homura. They weren’t talking much which was making it more awkward. 

“The men are very pleased with the honey, Umeka,” Hyoga commented suddenly, turning candied pumpkin seeds that she’d shown them how to make earlier over in his hand. “Very impressive that you were able to collect it safely.”

She didn’t turn to look at him but Tsukasa’s eyes were on her, waiting, “You just have to be patient. Bees really aren’t very hard to deal with. Or I’ve never thought they were.”

“Umeka’s been pretty secretive about here hives,” Tsukasa suddenly added, looking over the fire to Hyoga, “but I hope she’ll consider teaching us once the winter is over.”

Homura popped some seeds into her mouth, a strangely emotionless expression as she stared at Umeka, “They’re good.”

Umeka nodded, continuing to eat, she didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t wrong, she was being secretive but she didn’t think she owed him an explanation. He didn’t deserve anything more than she wanted to give. The more she thought about it the more annoyed she got but she tried to keep from expressing it.

Minami seemed to feel the tension, “You know they say honey is an anti-bacterial, so we probably shouldn’t eat all of it.”

“Yes, that will be useful,” Hyoga said, casting his eyes down to the seeds in his hand with a strange amused expression when Tsukasa looked at him harshly. Umeka wanted to jump and run and Saiyan’s bristled fur every time Hyoga spoke wasn’t helping. 

“Do you want to stay in my place tonight, Umeka? Then we can start getting yours ready tomorrow,” Minami’s smile was gentle. Of everyone there, she seemed to really be genuinely kind. It was the only thing keeping Umeka from making a run for it even though she knew with Tsukasa there it would be unsuccessful. 

“Oh, no thanks, I’m going to go home after this,” Umeka said. Then a silence set in. The others at the fire sat back and looked at each other, except for Tsukasa who was looking at her.

“Why don’t you stay? It’s late and it’s getting cold. We can go get your things tomorrow,” yet again he was smiling. Beautiful and charming, almost sympathetic. Her ears starting ringing.

“Wait...get my things?”

“I think it’s time you join us here. Winters coming so it’s the perfect time for a move since there’s no garden to tend. You can bring all your tools and things and you’ll have your own room so it won’t be much different than now,” his smile softened, “I’ll just have to walk less to see you.”

She swallowed hard. Staring at the food in her hands. He’d made up his mind what was going to happen. Maybe he’d been thinking of her as part of his group since he’d met her. Now he wasn’t going to give her any choice. She thought of the traps she’d build out of stone in the river. Just like the fish, she’d thought everything would be fine if she just kept going and now she had no idea how to get out helplessly stuck but safe until the fisherman came at least. 

The light of the fire was dancing on his eyes making them shine at her, “Umeka?”

“I want to go home,” she said, her voice catching in her throat.

Minami gasped, softly, shifting like she’d try and hug Umeka. Her movement startled Umeka who’s eyes snapped on her so harshly she stopped in her tracks, “S-sorry,” she offered.

“Umeka this is for the best, really,” Tsukasa sighed, “I promise you’ll be happy with us it’ll just take some time to adjust.”

She jumped to her feet. Everyone but Minami twitched, ready to chase her, “I’m going home, Tsukasa. We already agreed.”

He stood slowly, the fire licking up between them, “I know what we said, but I think things have changed. I’m worried about you out there alone.”

Saiyan stood now, growling lowly, his teeth bared. Tsukasa looked at him and then, taking a deep breath, he looked back at Umeka, “Come talk to me.” He nodded away from the fire. She picked up her bow and followed him.

They stood in silence for a moment, far enough from the fires that only the moonlight lit his face. Umeka took a ragged breath, she felt close to tears. Terrified and desperately wishing she’d seen this coming. That she’d just gone with Senku when she sent him away. Or better yet, that she’d moved camp as soon as she met Tsukasa. It had been so nice to see another person, to talk, and she’d never realized before then how bitingly lonely she was. Now, she thought, she would prefer to be lonely again. It would be better than being terrified, captured. 

“I told you...I was going home. I am going home,” she spoke firmly, pointing her finger at the ground to emphasize but she didn’t look him in the eye.

“Umeka,” Tsukasa’s voice was irritating, admonishing her like a parent, like the adults he seemed to harbor so much anger at but she knew better than to say that.

“So you lied to me. Told me I could go home and never planned to let me.”

“What? No. Umeka, please,” he reached a hand out, gently taking hold of her shoulder, “please, look at me.”

She sniffed, trying to hold back the tears forming in her eyes, but looked up glaring at him.

He flinched. It made it worse that he genuinely seemed concerned, honestly upset that she didn’t want to stay. It would be easier if he was like a villain from one of her early morning cartoons as a kid. Motivated by evil, no kindness in his actions. Just selfish and ugly and cruel. But he wasn’t. He was terrifying, yes, because he was big and powerful but his face was beautiful and his expression was kind. The hand that now squeezed her shoulder gently was carefully placed and warm. She didn’t know why exactly he was so determined to bring her to his camp, maybe he truly just wanted her help so they could survive winter easier. But something about the pained look on his face made her doubt that was all that was going on. Despite her fear and confusion, she knew he didn’t want to hurt her. She also knew that not wanting to and being unwilling to were dangerously different things.

“Tell me what I can do? I want you to be happy here but I also want you to be safe. You don’t understand what’s about to happen between Senku’s people and mine. I can’t let you get caught in the crossfire, do you understand?” his voice was hushed like he didn’t want anyone to hear the gentle things he was saying.

“You can keep your promise,” she said, speaking over his sigh, “let me go home.”

“Umeka-”

“I don’t want,” she frowned, “no, I don’t like that you tried to trick me. That isn’t going to make me trust you. It doesn’t feel like it’s to help me if you have to trick me to do it. So let me go home.”

He looked hurt, really and genuinely hurt even though the tension in his mouth, the muscles tense on the sides of his neck made him look angry. He took a shaky breath, frowning at her. He turned facing back towards her home, looking off through the trees even though it would be impossible to see it from where they stood, “I want you to move here. If you go home tonight, I want you to come back tomorrow. How do I know you’ll do that?”

She didn’t speak. He knew the answer, she knew that much.

He sighed heavily, “Right.”

Her chest heaved, a sob desperately trying to escape but she choked it back making a painful sound that drew Tsukasa’s eyes, “Umeka…” his hand raised, reaching to touch her cheek but she flinched, just slightly from his touch and he jumped back. Pulling his hand from her in shock. 

They stared at each other in tense silence. Saiyan looped low around the back of her legs waiting for one word to make him jump on Tsukasa. He turned suddenly, looking away from her, “Okay.”

She blinked. Struck still with shock.

He turned toward her again but didn’t look into her eyes, “Go. Go home,” his voice was deep and harsh but it trembled slightly. So little she wasn’t sure she had even heard it.

She thought she should say something. Ask if she could or thank him. But he didn’t have the right to control her so she shouldn’t have to thank him. Instead, she nodded to Saiyan and they quickly walked toward the forest. “Umeka,” Tsukasa called out just before she got to the tree line causing her to turn and look at him, “tomorrow,” he said. She didn’t speak, only stared for a while, until she got too nervous and hurried into the woods.

As soon as she felt like she was well enough out of sight she ran. Saiyan close by her. She dug her nails into the dirt of the embankment she’d earlier jumped down, desperately digging in and pulling herself up. She ran as fast as she could, pushing through branches and desperately catching herself when she stumbled. 

It wasn’t long until she hit the clearing that she called her home, the dogs leaping up when she came busting through the trees. Saiyan cut them off from rushing to her and they all seven stood at the ready watching as she desperately packed. She folded over her old clothes tying them to make sacks and slinging them over the backs of dogs. She grabbed as much food as she could, skins and furs, all of her arrows. She packed knives and utensils and pots. The dogs all stood still letting her tie things on as though they were pack animals. She’d have to leave all the water, her garden, the house itself, the chair she made, all her traps in the woods around them. She climbed down and whistled for the dogs to line up.

“Sazae, guide,” she spoke, and Sazae moved around to the front of the line, walking calmly into the woods. Umeka knew it would be better for her to keep her eyes up, wary of predators or Tsukasa pursuing her. But instead, her head was low and she cried weakly. Suit who walked beside her licked her hand apologetically, whining in concern. Umeka sniveled, wiping her dripping nose on the back of her hand. Her eyes hurt, her throat hurt. But she kept herself together enough that they could keep walking. 

Sazae gave a quick bark, drawing the dogs up. The forest once again broke into a clearing. In it were a series of buildings. Weird machinery Umeka didn’t understand. From the top of a stilted tower, the calm night wind whipped a heavy sounding flag. She glanced around, she didn’t see anyone so she nodded to the dogs and they stepped out of the woods. Alone in the strange camp, Umeka stood for a moment, wiping her face and breathing deeply to stop her crying.

Once she calmed down she cleared her throat and called out quietly, “Senku?”

She stood silently. Nothing.

“S-Senku!” she called louder. Then she heard men speaking in the distance, and the sound of footsteps rushing towards her in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 notes:  
> Not much this time!  
> Antiseptic properties of honey (obviously please don't utilize this as your primary medical advice): https://www.healthline.com/health/natural-antibiotics#honey  
> On the title: "The Kiyomizu stage is the observation deck at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, as shown in the image above. There was a legend that if you jump off this place without being injured, your wishes will come true. If you jump off and die, you will go to Nirvana. This proverb means to fully commit to an endeavor, taking a risky plunge and hoping for the best in a situation." https://www.tsunagujapan.com/20-japanese-proverbs-that-will-teach-you-a-lesson/


	5. The Separation of Clouds and Mud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making it to the Kingdom of Science was one thing, gaining their trust is another.

Kohaku hadn’t been able to sit by since Hyoga had attacked. Ever since they narrowly won that conflict with a combination of luck and good planning she’d been training furiously with Kinro and Ginro. She’d also taken up guard duty. Kinro tried to dissuade her, he claimed her skills would be better used somewhere else. But with the village badly damaged by the fire, Homura started and so many people left exposed he wasn’t able to argue with her for long. Not that there was really ever any point in arguing with her. No matter what she was going to do what was best for her people, what was right. And for now, as Senku, Chrome, and Kaseki set about creating something she couldn’t even begin to understand, being a guard and a warrior felt like all she could do.

She was glad she had. She could see, off in the distance, movement through the trees. It was swift and direct. Whatever was coming their way wasn’t wandering. It was aiming at them, coming at the village. She drew her knife, “Kinro.”

The lean man was just returning from a walk around the perimeter, his spear held between his hands at the ready. He looked at her, and seeing her serious expression, nodded and turned in the direction she was facing, he squinted into the trees but there was no way he’d be able to track the movement Kohaku was following, even if he didn’t have the fuzzy-eye sickness, “How many?”

“Eight, I think,” Kohaku breathed, eyes scanning over the different tracks of movement, “but seven of them are much lower down than the other...it’s...not human whatever it is.”

Ginro came up from the other side, his spear lazily resting over his shoulders, his arms hung over it at the wrists, “What are you two doing? Lazing off on the job?’

Kohaku wheeled on him bringing her first down hard on his head, “Idiot.”

“Learn to read the mood, Ginro,” Kinro sighed, giving an all too familiar look of disappointment to his younger brother.

“What!” Ginro whined, much quieter this time as he rubbed the sore lump on his head, “Why’d you hit me?”

“Something,” Kohaku said, jabbing her knife toward the woods, “is coming, get ready.”

“S-Something? D-D-Don’t you mean someone?” 

“No. Something. It’s not human whatever it is,” she turned to Kinro, “I’m going around behind it if I can get there, get ready.”

Kinro gave her a firm nod, his head lowering at the woods as he readied his spear. She jumped up into a tree, hopping through the branches trying to stay wide to avoid being detected by whatever was going at them. The last thing they needed now was some beast stalking the innocent villagers when they already had Tsukasa and Hyoga to deal with. As she jumped back down to the forest floor and made her way around she decided; whatever it was she wasn’t going to give it a chance to hut her people. 

⛮⛮⛮

Senku had busied himself as soon as he returned or rather, as soon as he explained to a furious Kohaku where he’d been and gotten Suika to release Sazae so she could return to Umeka’s home. It was a rough estimate but judging by the description Gen had given him about Tsukasa’s hideout and the locations he now knew; Ishigami Village and Umeka’s house, the three places formed an obtuse triangle with Umeka’s house as the wide center point. It took him the entire morning to get back to the shack and his legs were still trembling from the effort. 

He wanted to stay up, finish drafting out the plans for the cell phone. He wasn’t a particularly good artist, but anything he could give Kaseki might help him apply his insane artisanal skills. Despite his determination, he was falling asleep. His head rocking heavily toward the skin he was drawing on. He’d just dozed off when Ginro’s high pitched scream shocked him awake so hard his head snapped back.

“Ah!” he hissed the muscles of his neck seizing painfully. Still, he scrambled to his feet and stood at the top of the ladder looking out at where Ginro was. 

“Huh!” Chrome shouted, his voice thick with sleep, scrambling to his feet behind Senku, “What was that?!”

“Ginro screaming bloody murder.”

Chrome blinked, his eyes suddenly shooting wide, “Someone was murdered?!”

“What? No. It’s…,” Senku sighed, rolling his eyes, “It’s an expression. Come on.”

He turned, climbing down the ladder and trying to look off into the distance. It was hard to see in the dim light of the waxing moon above him but he stopped hurrying toward them when he made out the shapes. Seven dogs and one incredibly long-haired girl. He chuckled to himself, stopping by his equipment. 

“Uh, hey, Senku, don’t know if you forgot but Ginro just screamed so maybe we, I don’t know, hurry over?!” Chrome fussed behind him, hands flailing in Ginro’s direction.

“Eh, he’ll be fine what’s all the training for otherwise?” Senku smirked, “Besides, if what I think is happening is happening, and I’m like...ten billion percent sure it is, we’re gonna need some light.” He gathered a lightbulb and a battery, slipped a clay disk in the rope cage from a broken pot, and put them together. An incredibly crude lantern. Turning on the light, he nodded toward the noise, “Now we can go.”

⛮⛮⛮

Ginro’s whole body was shaking. Kohaku said that there was something not human coming out of the woods. He figured that meant it was a boar or a big deer or something. Not the scary forest spirit in front of him now. 

He and Kinro had stood at the ready as Kohaku told them too, waiting for her to flush the creature out. Or, as he hoped she would just handle it herself so he didn’t have to get involved. It felt like she’d been gone a long time. 

Then Kinro heard a rustling noise, just out of their field of vision, whatever was in the forest stepped out and spoke but neither of them could make it out. Then it went silent. It didn’t sound like it was moving. Then it shouted, clear as day, “S-Senku!”

Kinro had immediately launched into action, “Come on!”

They had run and as soon as Ginro made out the shape of the spirit and their seven evil-looking lumpy, teeth bearing familiars he’d screamed, high and loud.

Now they were at a standoff. The vengeful forest spirit’s hands raised, definitely ready to do some awful magic, like turn him into a toad or something. All of the scary beasts circling her legs and growling. They held their spears, though Ginro’s arms were shaking terribly, and the creature for whatever reason didn’t do anything. One of the familiars suddenly snapped, its teeth flashing toward Ginro making him cry out and jump back. 

The spirit jumped toward the beast, casting a spell, “Sueno-” but before it could finish, Kohaku landed behind it grabbing the monster from behind, and holding her knife to the creature’s throat. 

“Call it off!” Kohaku demanded. 

The creature grasped at its throat, clawing open its skin and pulling out a thin straight bone that it put in its mouth. Nothing happened, there was no sound or flash of light or anything but all the familiars stopped and laid down. Their eyes still flashing looking between them. 

Kohaku, brave to a stupid degree, squeezed the creature making it fight weakly, “Who sent you?”

⛮⛮⛮

“No one,” Senku called out, walking up on an absolute disaster scene. Maybe Chrome had been right and they should have rushed a little more, not that he’d admit that. “At least I don’t think. Anyone send you Umeka?”

Umeka, eyes wide with fear in Kohaku’s grasp shook her head, “N-No,” she twisted a little trying to look at Kohaku, “Could you put the knife down?”

“Ha! Yeah right!” Kohaku chided sharply.

Senku caught her eye and nodded, “Yeah probably just. Put that down.”

“What! She came out of the dark with beasts in tow and you want me to just let her go?” Kohaku shouted over Umeka’s shoulder making Umeka flinch at the sound. 

Senku scanned his eyes over the stressed dogs scattered around them. He spotted Sazae and lowed his light near her, “Look familiar?”

Kohaku blinked, unintentionally loosening her grip on Umeka. Umeka swallowed with relief, her neck finally free of the press of the knife. 

“The dog from earlier…” Kohaku’s eyes shifted back to Umeka, “You’re the one that helped him.”

Umeka nodded quickly, her eyes moving nervously over the weapons still pointed at her. Senku sighed, walking up between the brothers and putting his hands on the spears pushing them so they pointed at the ground, “Sorry about the welcome wagon, I’m not a very good party planner.”

Umeka smiled at him weakly, she held her arms across her chest, and in the low glow of the lightbulb, he could see tear stains on her face. Before he could say anything else Ginro spoke, “You didn’t tell us that you met a forest spirit! You just said it was some girl.”

Senku rolled his eyes, “Because it is a girl. There are no such things as forest spirits. Though I guess Princess Mononoke...does kind of qualify.”

He grinned at her briefly and laughed when she rolled her eyes and frowned at him.

“The-Then explain her lumpy evil familiars!” Ginro demanded, his voice hitting the notes of a bratty child. 

Senku deadpanned, he wanted to just ignore him and figure out why Umeka had shown up in the middle of the night but he knew Ginro well enough to know that he wasn’t going to let it go until he got his asinine questions answered. Senku abruptly lowered the light above Sueno, who laid just in front of Ginro, his eyes not moving from his face, “There are dogs..or wolves...both probably? With packs tied on.”

“...” Ginro blinked, deflated at the simple answer, “Well...well what about the spell?!”

“Well,” Chrome interrupted, “I think we’ve all learned spells aren’t real.”

Senku blinked, thinking. He wasn’t sure, obviously, it wasn’t a spell but he didn’t know what Ginro thought he heard or saw. He looked to Umeka who began to open her mouth but Kohaku spoke over her shoulder again, “She said, ‘Su-eh-no,’ right when that one jumped at Ginro.”

“Oh,” Senku nodded, smirking slightly, “That’s just the dog’s name. He’s a jerk. She was probably trying to stop him from getting you.” 

Umeka nodded vigorously. 

“Well fine!” Ginro pouted worse now, folding his arms with his spear still in hand, “but I bet you can’t explain how she pulled a bone out of her chest, and then all of the dog-wolf things just stopped and laid down. That has got to be magic.”

Senku narrowed his eyes at Ginro. He lifted the lantern to Umeka and, smirked, stepping toward her. He reached out with his free hand and hooked a finger under the chord that hung around Umeka’s neck. On it hung a long thin tube, a small notch in the top toward one end, “This,” he lifted the chord and gave it a gentle shake, “is a dog whistle. It makes a note too high for human ears to hear but absolutely perfect for training dogs. And,” he looked back at Umeka, “very impressive to make by hand in this Stone World.”

Umeka looked up at him, shifting a little on her feet as Kohaku let her go, “I had a lot of time to work on it.”

He chuckled and turned back to Ginro, “Satisfied? Umeka isn’t some forest spirit, she’s just a girl that’s trained some big dogs and lived out here on her own.”

“You trained all these dogs?’ Chrome said, suddenly moving toward Umeka and leaning in to look at the whistle, “That’s so bad!”

She blinked, smiling at him awkwardly, “Thank you?”

Chrome, with a stunning lack of respect for personal space, picked up the whistle and pulled it toward him making Umeka lean her shoulders lean in at him, the chord pressing into the back of her neck. For whatever reason she didn’t say anything, she just glanced around uncomfortably as Chrome spoke, “Wait...so how does it work? Like how do you know what dogs can hear-”

Kohaku reached out and smacked him, “Don’t just pull on her things!”

“What!” Chrome yelled, rubbing his head, “You were holding a knife at her!”

“I thought she was going to murder us I wasn’t asking her about a science whistle!”

“Well. Technically any whistle is a science whistle but that’s semantics,” Senku mumbled, picking at his ear, “How about we start a fire and let Umeka explain why she came for a visit so soon. I kind of at least expected a whole day, to pass before I saw you again, ya know?”

⛮⛮⛮

Umeka held her hands out toward the fire, trying to warm up after the bone-chilling walk through the woods. She’d pulled the packs off the dogs and piled them up at her feet letting them all curl up in a heap just behind her. The long walk with all the bags tied to them must have worn them all about because they were sleeping incredibly soundly now. 

Senku was explaining how the dog whistle worked to Chrome. Well. And to her. She’d just messed around and carved things until she couldn’t hear it and the dogs clearly could. Beyond knowing how to make a whistle she really didn’t understand anything about it so while she was trying to pretend like she wasn’t, she was listening intently. 

“-so knowing that any noise you hear is just air being moved we’re able to measure it by measuring the vibrations themselves. When it comes to sound there are two,” Senku explained holding up two fingers, “major tools. Hertz and kilohertz measure the frequency and decibels measure the air pressure, or in lay man’s terms, the loudness. Human ears are only good at detecting and making sense of a certain range of frequencies, typically somewhere like twenty hertz to twenty kilohertz, of course, when you get older your ears lose a little sensitivity to some noises and the range drops to more like fifteen to seventeen,” He nodded his head toward the blond girl that had grabbed her, “course, there’s always an exception to the rule even with science. There’s probably some ear version of Kohaku out there with hearing above the normal range. But with most dog whistles coming in the twenty-three to fifty-four kilohertz range they’d have to be a real freak to hear a dog whistle.”

“That is so bad!” the one with a rope tied around his forehead shouted, gripping his hands into fists in front of his chest. 

Senku grinned, nodding and then shifting his eyes to her, “It is pretty cool, especially that you made one just by trial and error.”

She blinked. That was the phrase Tsukasa had said before. She grimaced, must have been taught in high school or something. 

Senku tilted his head slightly, “Uh...everything okay?”

“Oh!" she flushed, “Yeah sorry, I was just. Thinking.”

“Sure…” he smiled a little, “so...why did you come so soon?”

Umeka took a deep breath. She’d managed to stop crying a while before she wandered through the trees but she was worried that now, telling the story over, she might cry again and she doubted that would look good. If nothing else it would be embarrassing. She looked around at them all. Senku had mentioned a village, he’d mentioned people by name, but somehow she still hadn’t expected as many people as she now found herself surrounded by, she breathed out, “I decided to run. I...Tsukasa-”

“Tsukasa!” Chrome and Kohaku shouted at the same time. Kohaku instantly getting defensive, ready for a fight Umeka didn’t want to give her. 

“We’re never going to get answers, ya know?” A smooth sounding voice called just beyond the glow of the fire, “If you keep cutting the poor thing off,” the man spoke walking into the firelight. His hair was just in a weird pattern, a section blunted into a rectangle that hung by his chin, half black and half white. He smiled, but his eyes were sharp like a hawk, “My name is Gen.”

Umeka blinked. He looked really expectant. When she didn’t give him anything he gave her a pouty frown, his voice comically whiny, “How uelcray! Tsukasa never told you about me?”

“I think I’d remember that,” she said, dropping her head in embarrassment when Senku suddenly laughed at her small joke. 

Gen didn’t seem to mind, he smiled and sat beside her, “Go on. Tell us more about why you came.”

Umeka looked at him for a moment and nodded, “I promised Tsukasa I’d finally go to his group’s hideout when Senku was in my house. It was raining and Tsukasa wanted to stay and I wouldn’t let him and then I thought if I told him no to going to his group he’d get really mad and then maybe he’d hurt me or he’d go up anyway and find Senku and kill him cause Senku acted like he’d get killed if Tsukasa found him but when I saw Senku off in the woods Tsukasa was at my house and then he took me to his group and they were all scary and he had a throne which he somehow didn’t find weird even though it is and then he tried to bully me into staying and I yelled at him and then he looked sad and said I could go home but I had to come back tomorrow and I don’t want to do that so instead I packed everything I could and then I came here cause Sazae knew the way from bringing Senku back earlier,” she took a deep breath, blinking in embarrassment at the blank stares around her, “…..and that’s...why….I’m here…”

Gen recovered first, “And why did you come here and not just run off somewhere on your own?”

“I had to leave my house and all my traps in the woods, rebuilding all that now would be really hard. And...Senku…” she flushed again. 

“Well, I did invite her. Might as well try us instead of jumping right to a hard mode reset, right?” Senku said, seeming to jump in on her behalf.

“Okay well, how do we know she’s not working for Tsukasa?” Kohaku asked, raising an eyebrow, “I’m sorry but. It all seems a little too convenient.”

“Kohaku has a point,” the tall dark-haired boy with glasses spoke for the first time that Umeka heard.

Senku grinned, “Well. Umeka could have handed me over to Tsukasa when I bumped into her. Coulda killed me herself. She could have had the dogs rip me apart when I got to her house. She could have poisoned me since I ate food that I didn’t watch her prepared. And she could have killed me in my sleep cause I stayed the night at her house. It’s not a perfect alibi but...that is a lot of opportunities to ignore.” He cast his eyes over to Gen, “Besides, Tsukasa doesn’t really strike as the type to try the same plan twice,” he pointed his thumb to Gen, “especially not when the last time lost him a valuable resource.”

Gen gave a wicked grin, acting bashful suddenly, “You flatterer.”

Senku rolled his eyes but still smiled, “Yeah, yeah.”

Ginro suddenly spoke up, his voice sounding like a kid that got thrown in a time out, she wondered if he was a little upset he got told off about her not being a forest spirit, “Okay but...maybe Tsukasa knows all that. Maybe that’s his plan.”

Chrome nodded his head like he was trying to decide between things, “Surprisingly, he’s got a point.”

“Than-Hey!”

“Well,” Gen cut in quickly, “Let’s think as Tsukasa then, shall we?” The air around him seemed to change. Suddenly he was giving off the same intimidating aura Tsukasa did, his mannerisms even changed to the familiar gestures of Tsukasa, when he spoke his voice was deep and warm just like the man she’d run from and it spooked her so badly she scooted toward Senku who glanced at her but didn’t seem to mind, “Umeka is important to me, she has resources I need for my people and skills very few, if any of us, have. I recently found out my enemy Senku is alive and well, so I decided I should finally get Umeka to join me so she wouldn’t join Senku’s side,” then Gen rolled his neck, and every trace of Tsukasa melted from him, “Seem about, right?”

“I guess…” she frowned.

“Yeah okay, so she’s important if he has her stuff why not send her though?” Ginro protested.

Gen sighed, “Okay. Let me put it this way then. Tsukasa met Umeka before Hyoga attacked the village, I know this because I was there when he came back and shared the news. Some of the...less intellectually inclined suggested we just send a group to go take her stuff if she didn’t want to join. It is, to date, the only time I saw Tsukasa actually yell and threaten any of his men. From then on, if Tsukasa was going to visit Umeka it was well understood no one in the group was welcome to go with him. In fact, as far as I know, he was the only one that knew where she lived. Understand?”

Everyone else seemed to nod or shift around. Out of the corner of her eye, Umeka saw Senku tense, that funny stressed smile spreading on his face again. Everyone seemed to understand something new except herself and Ginro, “So what! I don’t get it! And I still think she could be a spy!”

“Seriously, Ginro,” the other guard grumbled, rubbing his eyes under his glasses.

Gen was looking at Umeka, he gave her a small strangely comforting smile, and then rolled his eyes to Ginro, “Basically, I’m saying if he wouldn’t even let his own men know where she lived or go to see her there’s no way he’d ask her to go on a spy mission. Especially not,” he tapped her foot against a bag in front of Umeka, “With a bunch of supplies.”

That seemed to be the last piece. Now she was even happier she brought all that stuff. Everyone seemed to relax, Gen tucked his hands in his sleeves, sharing a small look with Senku that Umeka just noticed before Gen quickly looked away.

“Good point so, what’s in the bag anyway!” Chrome yelled, suddenly hopping forward to them. 

Senku lifted his foot, jamming it against Chrome’s face and pushing back, “Back off. We can loot Umeka’s supplies tomorrow. It’s late. We should go to sleep and figure the rest out tomorrow.” He put his hands behind his head, stretching for a minute, then he dropped a hand to hold his belt and glanced at her, “Well come on, guess you can stay with us in the science shack for now.”

She blinked, a little shocked at how easy it was. Sure there were witchcraft accusations and a knife to her throat earlier but, somehow, she’d never really felt scared. Maybe she was just tired from earlier, all out of fear from her fight with Tsukasa. But maybe, she could just trust them and that thought made her smile. She followed Senku, Chrome, and Gen to their shack pulling out bedding she’d brought from home and completing a little square on the floor with the three of them. They fell asleep as easily as though she’d always been there and she listened for a while to their breathing and Chrome kicking around in his bed. It was hard for her to sleep with so much noise, she was used to complete silence, but it was comforting to not be alone and when she finally did doze off it was the best night’s sleep she’d had in years.

⛮⛮⛮

He’d known when he told her to go home she wouldn’t come back. At least, he thought, she didn’t lie because she never actually said she would return. Somehow that hurt less. That even if she wanted to avoid him she didn’t lie to his face. 

Even knowing she wasn’t going to come back to him he’d hoped, foolishly, that she’d be at her house. Just scared by his pressure to move. But she wasn’t. Standing at the base of it now, he could tell she’d run. Things were scattered on the ground, the remaining plants in her garden had been trampled by her and the dogs. She must have been truly afraid, he didn’t feel she’d step on her plants any other way, even if the frost would soon begin to set in and kill them.

He put his hand on the rope ladder, looking up. He started to put a foot on the rung but then he remembered her strong rejection and he stopped. He thought about calling up to her, but that made him feel even more foolish. He sighed in frustration, rubbing his forehead. He shouldn’t have waited. He should have gone after her right when she left. He could have explained himself, they could have compromised. But he’d thought it would be better to give her some space. Now it was going to be harder to find her and work this out.

His heart tingled uncomfortably, he frowned, his fingers subconsciously touching his chest. He didn’t understand how it could have gotten so bad that she’d risk being off on her own without shelter in the winter over living with his group. He looked around what she’d left, hoping to find a sign, anything that might point him in her direction so he could find her and calm her down. Make his apology and ensure she was safe. Even if it meant she lived in her home and he had to travel to visit her.

There wasn’t much to see. She’d dropped some bowls. She’d left the frame she built for cleaning game. She’d left her water barrel too because, of course, it was far too big for her to move. Then his eyes fell on the bucket beside it. Sitting there, still waiting to be washed, were two bowls and two spoons. He stared at them for a long time feeling his muscles tense, he clenched his teeth and turned in the direction Umeka had walked toward him from just the other morning. Maybe she hadn’t run away from him. Maybe, he thought, she’d run to someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 Notes  
> About Sound Levels: https://ips.org.uk/encyclopedia/sound-levels/#:~:text=Our%20ears%20respond%20to%20fluctuations,is%20what%20we%20usually%20measure.&text=This%20reference%20pressure%20of%2020,young%20person%2C%20at%20one%20kilohertz.  
> On hertz vs decibles: https://www.techwalla.com/articles/the-relationship-between-hertz-and-decibels  
> On what human's can hear: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10924/#:~:text=Humans%20can%20detect%20sounds%20in,to%2015%E2%80%9317%20kHz.)  
> On dog whistles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle  
> On Gen's pig latin: https://lingojam.com/PigLatinTranslator  
> Oh the title: this phrase is used to describe two things that are starkly different to the point of almost being incomparable. There's a similar phrased that's something like "The moon and the softshell turtle" that means essentially the same. http://nihonshock.com/2010/03/japanese-proverbs-february-2010/


	6. Dumplings Over Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umeka's first day with the Kingdom of Science proves what she can bring to the group and what she's willing to leave behind.

When Umeka woke up she was the only person in the so-called science hut. She rolled over, blinking in confusion; stunned that she slept until midday by the look of the bright sun. She scrambled up to the door and stood at the top looking out. 

“Well hey, Princess Mononoke, glad you finally decided to join us,” Senku called, waving at her from the middle of the yard.

She rolled her eyes but turned to climb down the ladder anyway. There were far more people out and about now that it was daytime. An old man stood with Senku, and Gen. The warriors were nowhere to be found and neither was the headband wearing boy called Chrome. The dogs were all awake, running and barking with children from the village. She smiled, “How long have they been playing?”

“Oh just the entire morning,” Senku sighed, giving her a teasing grin, “thanks for that, they haven’t done a millimeter of work.”

“I’m just glad the dogs haven’t eaten them.”

Senku’s eyes went wide and his mouth dropped slightly; his eyebrow twitching. Umeka couldn’t hold it for long before she started giggling and Senku groaned and rolled his eyes, “Very funny.”

She smiled, proud of her joke and how Gen was still laughing his face tucked behind his sleeve, “I don’t think they’d be dangerous without being told, but I am surprised they want to play so much. They’ve never been around any humans but me.”

“Well, you probably gave them crazy high expectations for humans. You probably increased the quality of their lives by ten billion percent. With that being their only human contact of course they’re going to like any others.”

“It’s hard to believe,” the old man spoke, his voice shaking in a pleasant elderly way, “someone so young could get big beasts like those to listen to them. Around the village, even little creatures like Suika’s puppy are pretty rare!”

“Well,” Senku spoke, a small smile breaking out on his face the way it did when he was going to say something smart, “the development of agriculture and the domestication of animals both happened around ten thousand years ago. It might not seem like it but those are the building blocks of civilization and the foundation of science.”

Gen squinted, looking up above his head, “How is...that?”

“Something tells me he’s glad you asked,” the old man chimed.

Umeka smiled slightly, glancing back to where the dogs ran full force circling laughing kids and pushing their bodies in the dirt around them with their tales wagging like crazy.

“When people didn’t have to fight for resources and spend every day wondering how they were going to shelter themselves and eat they were able to start thinking about other things. Domesticated animals provided food, protection, resources, and companionship and domesticated plants formed gardens that allowed for food storage and a more sustainable source of nutrients,” Senku grinned at her, “that’s why Umeka was so quick to do it even though she was young.”

Umeka furrowed her eyebrows at him, “No it’s not.”

“H-huh?” Senku blinked, his head tilting in genuine confusion.

Though it had made her feel a little pouty in the face of him making a big claim, now she felt embarrassed, her cheeks puffing out, “I just...wanted to pet the dogs.”

Senku stared for a moment, then busted out laughing, hand patting his side. She turned red, puffing up at him, which only made him laugh harder, “Sorry, sorry it was just such a simple reason,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes and still trying to stifle a laugh, “of course, you were a kid so even if you were as crazy-smart as you must be you just wanted a pal.”

Even though she’d wanted to fuss at him for laughing she couldn’t help but smile a little since it seemed like he understood her. She rolled her eyes away from him, her face still burning with embarrassment. 

Gen chuckled and looped his arm over her shoulders, “Would you mind telling us about what you brought then? We’ve been able to hold off opening the bags until you woke up but I don’t think we can stand it any longer.”

“Yes! I want to see more treasures from the past!” The old man chanted, pumping his fists.

“You know you could at least tell her your name first, gramps!” Gen fussed, leaving his arm over Umeka’s shoulders as they walked.

“Oh! Right! My name is Kaseki!” He said proudly, his chest puffing out, “I’m a craftsman and a builder!”

She smiled a little, “You sound like my grandpa, he was a builder too. But just old stuff he wanted to make not for a job or anything.”

“Old stuff you say? How do you mean?” The way Gen talked, it felt maybe a little put on but he focused all of his attention. Made it clear he was listening and remembering the things she said. It made her want to keep talking to him.

“Oh well. My grandpa was a folklorist-”

“What does that mean?!” Kaseki interrupted eyes seeming to glitter with interest. 

“Shh! She’s trying to tell us.”

Umeka snickered patting Gen’s hand for jumping in again, “It means he studied traditional things, I guess. Old stories and traditional ways of making things and why they were done that way. He was always telling me myths and showing me classical instruments and old school crafts.”

“It’s,” Senku said, not looking up from a bag he was already rifling through, “a branch of anthropology. A lot of folklorists focus on myths, legends, and stories like she said. They work to preserve the lessons of culture as science moves forward and makes some things obsolete as tools for sharing knowledge.”

“You...lost me.”

“I’ve gotta be onesthay, you lost me this time too, Senku.”

“Oh!” Umeka raised her hand, inexplicably, making Gen and Senku chuckle, “I think I know.”

“Well go ahead then,” Senku smirked, continuing to pour out a bag of tools and sift through them.

“Stories used to be used to share information when people didn’t always know how to read or write or have paper and pens and stuff! So instead people would tell stories because they were easier to remember than just a list of facts! Lots of myths were made up to explain things like...big storms...or...uhm...uh...oh! Food! Why we eat certain things or why some stuff seems to grow better or worse in some places. Before people had science they kinda...made up a reason to help make sense of the world and to spread information and uh...how did grandpa…” she tapped her chin, “Oh! Make a ‘cultural identity.’ That’s what grandpa told me. At least.”

“Heh,” Senku tilted his head back to look up at her, “ten billion points, Umeka. That’s pretty much exactly it.”

She grinned, swelling up with pride that made Gen giggle softly beside her. 

“Sounds like the hundred tales!” Kaseki said.

“What’s what?”

“That’s because that’s what they are,” Senku sighed.

“What are they?”

“So the tales are myths! What’s a myth?”

“Oh, a myth more specifically-”

“What!” Umeka interrupted, flushing when Kaseki and Senku jumped to look at her and mumbling the rest of her question, “Are the hundred tales…?”

Senku sputtered another laugh, “Right. You haven’t been here the whole time. Gen?”

“Me?” Gen blinked, but then seeing Senku excitedly showing a tool to Kaseki and gesturing with it wildly, “oh okay we’re losing them. The hundred tales were stories passed down from Senku’s dad and the other astronauts who are the ancestors of this entire village. They made the stories trying to help their descendants live but also to get information to Senku because his dad had azycray faith in him, to put it simply.”

Umeka stared at him, wide-eyed. Then blinked. Looked up at the sky. Then back to Gen, “Astronauts…?”

“Yes.”

“...they just...came back?”

“Mhm.”

“....whoa.”

“I know right,” Gen laughed, “It is pretty insane. I guess more insane if you weren’t with us when we found out! That’s why the village is called Ishigami Village. He’s Ishigami Senku. Oh, and he’s the chief.”

“You are?” Umeka looked at Senku a little shocked but he was just fussing with her bag of tools.

“Yeah, that’s not such a big deal though,” he said, his voice dismissive of his position, “Are these what I think they are?” he smirked at her, almost mischievous. 

“...,” she grinned, plopped down in the dirt by him, “what do you think they are?”

“I think they’re gonna blow the old man’s mind,” he said, turning the simple-looking block of wood over in his hand.

“Oh. Probably,” Umeka grinned, barely able to withhold the giggle that was building as Kaseki leaned around like a little kid in an ice cream shop watching their scoops get placed on the cone.

“Come on then! Tell me!” He complained, trying to snatch the tool from Senku who twisted around to hold the block behind him keeping it from Kaseki.

“This...is a super crude all wooden kiwakanna, isn’t it?” Senku said, raising an eyebrow, the smile on his face looking strangely proud.

“Yeah, it doesn’t work very well because it’s-”

“All wood.”

“Right, but I wanted to try,” she nodded, “I didn’t ever keep much of the stuff that I tried that didn’t work. But...I guess I just really wanted those to work so I kept them.”

Senku grinned, “well it’s good you did, we can make real blades for these, and between you knowing how they work and Kaseki being a crazy fast study we’re going to have real Japanese wood joinery unlocked in no time.”

“Wood...joinery?” Kaseki echoed, drool forming in the corner of his mouth.

“...Hi excuse me but,” Gen said, squinting down his nose, “Why...bother?”

“Why bother!” Senku frowned at him, clutching the plane to his chest.

“I didn’t know you were such a traditionalist,” Gen teased making Senku roll his eyes.

“I don’t think that’s why,” Umeka smiled, holding up her fingers and interlocking her knuckled as examples as she spoke, “Traditional Japanese carpentry was all about getting the wood to stick together without nails, screws, fancy tools, glue, or anything else. Just the wood.”

“It’s a crazy precise science,” Senku said, lovingly looking over the tools, “created exactly for this climate. With Japan’s humidity and fluctuating temperatures, nails and screws would rust and fall apart and glue fails even faster. Wood joinery basically gets stronger over time, that’s why Japan had so many ancient temples in our day. And besides,” suddenly a dark glint came into his eye, he loomed over the tools, “it’ll cut out a whole line of production for fastening products meaning-”

“...that labor can go somewhere else,” Gen sighed.

⛮⛮⛮

For the rest of the afternoon, the young girl explained her tools and shared the various dried meats and fruits she’d brought while they talked. Senku had, maybe too abruptly for Kaseki’s tastes, dismissed some of her tools as things they meltdown and repurpose. Other times, like the carpentry planes he’d gotten so excited for, he’d hold them up as the new standard. The girl seemed to take it all in stride, unbothered when Senku tossed through her worn stone knives and simple awls. 

“Okay!” Kaseki shouted, “be a little nicer with the stuff, Senku.” He cradled an awl that had snapped on the ground.

Senku blinked, having enough shame to glance at Umeka who smiled at Kaseki.

“No it’s okay,” she said her thumb running a dull knife edge and then lightly tossing it over her shoulder, “some of this stuff is junk I shouldn’t have brought,” her eyes went unfocused, looking off into the distance, “I was just panicking.”

“Of course they were useful to you but we have better ones here, we just don’t need them, old man,” Senku shrugged, returning to the planes to gather them up, Umeka following after him to help his noodle-armed self hold them all. 

“No reason to keep them if you have something better! I would have tossed them if I had ever had metal anyway!” She grinned, rushing after Senku who was practically sprinting to the kiln. He immediately dropped, laying on his stomach as he happily drew. 

He reached behind him without looking, grabbing Umeka’s wrist and pulling her down beside him, “So if the metal goes...here,” he said, drawing furiously, “this is the normal shape, right?”

“Mmm,” she tilted her head, leaning in to look, “No...more like...I dunno like,” she lifted up her hands, angling one from the other in front of her, “like that? Does that make sense?”

Senku stared for a moment, “Oh. Sure! So it goes...and then…”

Kaseki blinked, turning to Gen who gave a good-natured shrug, “No clue. But they look excited. I don’t know a ton but I know enough to confidently say you’re going to love it.”

He nodded, walking over to the kids who were eagerly discussing the tools. Once he caught sighs of the drawing his heart raced, it was a very simple blade they needed to make, but that’s why it was so exciting. Something so simple in design could make all the complicated shapes needed in a house. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on it.

“What do you think, expert craftsman? You getting excited?” Senku chuckled, Umeka grinning over his shoulder.

“Beyond! Quit yapping and help me make this damn blade!”

Senku laughed but jumped up, explaining the mixtures of metal to Umeka who blinked in confusion, nodding without seeming to understand. It wasn’t long until they’d poured metal in a cast and sat around waiting for it to cool enough that Kaseki could grind it down.

“So this is how your house was put together?” Kaseki asked.

“Oh!” Umeka laughed shortly, “No. Mine was more like...wood and plaster and rope. It was all I could do. Ugly but it worked. She laughed, tugging at the front of her shirt, an animal skin she’d wrapped around and tied, “pretty much everything I did or owned was just cause it would work.”

“That one macrame chair you had hanging from your ceiling was a ‘need,’ huh?” Senku grinned. 

“Well,” she blushed, glancing away, “there was a while where I couldn’t lay down. I think I probably poisoned myself, every time I laid down I’d vomit. So...haha...I made the chair so I could sit up and sleep. Those fancy looking knots are just the only way I knew to make it.”

Senku frowned as she spoke, “Sounds like it was pretty bad.”

“Oh yeah,” she shrugged, trying to brush past the moment, “but what do you expect! I guess stuff that wasn’t poisonous before learned to be poisonous. At least some things. I’ve never eaten anything I didn’t recognize. I probably eat….mmm...I dunno. Less than fifty different things. Types of animals and plants and everything included.”

“Smart,” Senku laughed a little, “but sounds boring.”

She shrugged quickly, “Better than getting sick like that again,” she overplayed a shudder trying to joke but it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it much longer.

“Hey!” Senku suddenly called, looking over the cast, well-timed as ever, “looks like it’s cooled off.”

“Give it!”

Umeka barely had to explain, once she showed him one smooth push from the plane on the wood a thin curl pulling off the board he understood. He flexed with excitement, clothes straining free, as Gen’s hand shot around to over Umeka’s eyes.

⛮⛮⛮

“Hey!” she said, trying to pull him free.

“Trust me,” Gen sighed, “I’m doing you a favor, Umie.”

“Umie?” she turned, blinking up to him.

“Like it? I thought you needed a cute nickname,” he tapped his finger on her nose, “for such a cute girl.”

She blushed, eyes wide with shock. Gen couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. She wouldn’t have had any real experience with flirting, having been so young when the petrification happened. Maybe a schoolyard crush, that would have been normal for her age but little boys are more direct, throwing things if they’re mean or stating their feelings outright and giving gifts if they weren’t. Based on this, and her strong reaction to compliments much less his obvious flirting, he could only assume she had no idea Tsukasa had feelings for her.

He wanted to know, though, how she felt. If she cared for him and was just scared, it might be risky having her around. She might change her mind and go rushing back to his side taking secrets with her as she went. If she didn’t want to go back to him but liked him the coming fight might be difficult for her to help in, and it could be unfair to ask certain things of her. The last option that occurred to him was that she didn’t like him at all, and then it wouldn’t be any more difficult to fight him than anyone else. Provided, of course, Tsukasa didn’t make a battlefield confession which didn’t seem likely to Gen. In fact, if she didn’t return his feelings it might be useful to them in the future, as long as everyone was okay with a little cruel manipulation of romantic feelings for personal gain. As far as Gen was concerned, that was fair game against someone who could rip a tree from its roots. All is fair in love and war, after all, and there’s a reason romance had been used for centuries in spying and conflict; it works.

He grinned, sitting by her, “So Umie, can I ask you about Tsukasa?”

“Oh…” she blinked, watching Senku and Kaseki furiously playing with the new tools laughing like idiots, “s-sure?”

“What do you think of him?” honesty seemed like the best approach with her. Umeka grew up alone, so certain little tricks or outright deceptions would work on her better than the average person, that said, it also meant she grew up without certain social pressures. Some things people would have been taught to be ashamed of or cautious about sharing she might not have. Mostly, Gen got the sense that she had a very fine-tuned instinct since even without much human interaction she’d been using her basic knowledge and instinct alone to survive all those years. 

“Uh…” she frowned, folding her arms in front of her. Closing off and protecting herself. She either had something she didn’t want to share or-

“He’s scary.”

Or that, “How so?”

“He just...feels scary. Like…as soon as I met him I knew he could do whatever he wanted. And I was right. He killed a bear with a sword! I’ve seen him grab birds out of the sky and he brought me a whole tree one time for firewood. A whole tree! It had roots! I don’t think I need to feel like I can beat everyone to feel comfortable here. I mean...individually maybe I could take you all if I had to fight but probably not everyone. But I still feel comfortable here. I never felt comfortable with Tsukasa,” the corner of her mouth dropped, her eyes casting down sadly.

“Because it felt like you didn’t have a choice, hmm?” He smiled, familiar with the sensation, though it seemed Tsukasa’s charisma didn’t work on Umeka the way it worked on most. It felt like a weird solidarity, like he’d felt when he found a good assistant for his shows in the past.

“Yeah!” she seemed excited to be understood, it had relieved some lingering guilt she must have been harboring from running.

Gen smiled, poking her nose again, “Okay that’s all I wanted to ask, Umie. Thanks for answering me.”

She smiled awkwardly, touching her nose. There was no way she knew how Tsukasa felt and even though Gen hoped it would help them one day, he worried that it might also be the source of a huge problem.

⛮⛮⛮

The rest of the night passed easily. Senku’s hands were covered in small splitters from helping Kaseki. Even with the good tool and Kaseki’s intense skills, Senku’s own less deft hands had gotten damaged in the process. Not that it mattered. What mattered was that it was going to up their production time and the quality. It making Kaseki excited and seemingly helping Umeka feel like more a part of the group was just a nice side bonus.

He sighed, pulling his collar tighter, it was getting cold fast at night now, and sitting on the science hut roof without any cover wasn’t helping. It probably wouldn’t be long until he was breaking out the winter layer of his clothes. 

“Senku?” Umeka spoke from beside him suddenly.

He flinched, yelping and nearly sliding off the straw roof but Umeka’s hand shot out easily and grabbed him, helping him stay on, “Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you I thought you noticed me.”

“Heh. Try to remember you have that hunter sneak bonus, kay? I didn’t hear a millimeter of straw shift out of place.”

“Is that a lot?”

He blinked, “Oh. Hadn’t learned measurements yet?”

“They tried but...you forget some things,” she shrugged, “I remember centimeters! That’s why my hair is long!”

“...explain that.”

“My mom, oh well you saw her,” he nodded as she spoke, “she had long hair. She liked that it was a tradition. She said it made us fancy,” she laughed suddenly, waving her hand, “I think she was joking but it was fun to brush mom’s hair and she’d do mine. She liked stories like grandpa so she’d tell me some then or teach me a song. I already had hair to here,” she lifted the chord she kept free from the braid, the one that hung in front of her shoulder and she pinched the highest bead, “mom used to measure my hair to see how it was growing. She told me it grew twelve centimeters a year so-”

“You...did the math and...made a calendar with your hair,” Senku cut in, his voice soft with shock. He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“I know it probably doesn’t work super good, but I just wanted to know how many years it was and I didn’t know what day it was when I woke up or anything so this was all I could do beyond count the days and get a rough idea of the months once-” she stalled, blushed when she realized what she was about to talk about.

Senku snickered, “don’t worry, human biology doesn’t bother me but you don’t have to explain. I know what you mean.”

Still, she glanced away awkwardly, a blush still spread over her face, then she noticed his paper, “What’s that?”

“Ah. Well. I’m,” he looked up, “trying to make a star chart. For navigation.”

She leaned in quickly, her shoulder pressing against his. She didn’t seem to notice or care, but it made Senku jump. It was a little stupid but he wasn’t used to many people being that close to him. If she’d been looking at him he might have actually gotten flustered but instead, she was staring seriously at his crude map and then looking at the sky and then back at the map, her eyebrows furrowing more with each glance.

“Want to share with the class or?”

She blinked, “Oh. Uh. It’s...wrong?”

“Excuse me.”

“That’s…” she pointed to a constellation just over the horizon, barely visible above the treeline, “Orion.”

“No it’s not,” he leaned a little trying to peak through the trees, putting a hand on her far shoulder to steady himself, “See it’s just a box there, there’s not a star connecting the...what the arm? All the double Orinis stars that connect off of-” He paused, there was no way,  “What makes you sure that’s Orion?”

She raised an eyebrow at him pointing as she spoke, “That’s Oushi. And that’s Gyosha. Kujira. And I can’t really see that one but I bet it’s Futago. Those are all the constellations around Orion so that has to be Orion, right?”

Senku could barely contain himself, he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her, “Do you know what this means?!”

He could cry, he groaned loudly ignoring Gen and Chrome’s protests, “Hey! Shut it! Stuff something in your ears! This sucks!”

“What’s happening!” Umeka yelled, looking dizzied from his shaking.

“It happened! Betelguese finally went supernova while we were all stone…!” He groaned loudly in frustration, “It could have been another hundred thousand years but nooo it just had to happen,” he turned glaring at the constellation, “While no one could see it! Damn!”

Umeka was staring at him when he turned back, still breathing hard from his little fit. Her mouth smiled but her eyes continued to stare in unblinking confusion, “Explain?”

He sighed heavily, leaning back against the roof, “You’re right. First of all, so thanks. I wasn’t even thinking about it but...the star that should be right...there. Died off. It was something everyone that watched the sky was getting excited about. It was gonna be brighter in the sky than the moon for weeks. I had noticed it was getting dimmer just before the petri-ray happened, I guess it was just closer than I’d thought.” 

“Oh so...you’re just sad that you missed it,” she smiled a little, “cause you’re a big sky nerd, huh?”

He blinked at her, “Yeah. A real big one. What, can you recognize your own kind? You called them by their Japanese names, right? Oushi is Taurus, Gyosha is Auriga, Kujira is Cetus, and Futago, the twins...Gemini.”

She smiled, leaning back beside him, “If you say so. Grandpa just taught me the Japanese names.”

“Man. I can’t wait to meet your, grandpa,” Senku laughed.

Umeka was quiet for a moment and he turned, worried he’d upset her bringing up her family, especially someone she hadn’t found but she was looking at him with a soft smile. He blinked, suddenly feeling awkward and she must have noticed because her smile broadened, “Guess you have to settle for me for now.”

“I’ll survive somehow,” he sat forward again, scratching away at his paper making the corrections, “so would you say you know all of the stars, some of the stars, what are we working with here?”

“Senku,” she called, still leaning back.

He looked over his shoulder, “Huh? What is it?”

“I definitely know them all but I’m only going to help on one condition,” she grinned at his suddenly deadpanned expression.

“Yeah, yeah what silly thing do you want then? Are you gonna be like Gen and want a soda?” He teased, trying to suppress the concern she’d want something he couldn’t easily provide.

“Hey!” Gen called from somewhere below them but they both ignored it.

“No,” her grin widened, “I don’t really care about anything like that. I just want you to let me tell you the stories while I point them out.”

“...heh...a folklorist like your grandpa, huh?” He smiled, turning back to his paper, that wasn’t too much to ask.

“I guess,” she sat up, looking at the paper over his shoulder, “I just think maybe it would be fun and you look like you’re always working.”

“Well...sure but to be fair,” he looked at her, awkwardly pulling back from how close they were, “I think the work is fun.”

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes, smiling and looking up into the stars making her eyes shine with the brightness of the night sky in a world with no other source of light, “then maybe it would just be nice to remember all the things people used to believe and we already know better than. Honor the past and-”

“Move toward the future.”

She grinned, “Plus I get to show off the thing I’m smart about.”

Senku snorted, “Yeah, you definitely haven’t done that yet. Please keep struggling to prove your worth.”

She laughed, elbowing him which nearly made him slip off the edge since he was unprepared, “Oh sorry!”

He rolled his eyes, “Yeah it’s okay but let’s keep our hands to ourselves, hmm? Now. The stars.”

She grinned, looking back up and pointing as she leaned on his shoulder to make sure they were tracking the same things, “Hey wait a minute, you didn’t actually agree to listen to the stories.”

He turned, smiling at her suspicious expression, “I’ll listen, promise,” he offered his arm for a bump, a gesture he’d gotten so used to with the others he forgot she wouldn’t know it. She paused for only a moment before reaching out and forcing her pinky through his, giving a little squeeze with her small finger.

“Good, then we can get started,” she said, turning her face back to the sky as she let his hand go, her eyes searching for a good starting point the smile on her face a stark contrast to her fearful expression she wore just a day ago when she arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 notes!  
> On domestication: https://www.jyi.org/2012-february/2017/9/17/our-furry-friends-the-history-of-animal-domestication  
> More: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/domestication/#:~:text=Powered%20by-,Domestication%20is%20the%20process%20of%20adapting%20wild%20plants%20and%20animals,Domesticated%20species%20are%20not%20wild.  
> Wood joinery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworking_joints#Strength  
> A little video of the "kanna" or planes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBKrC0E2QcA  
> A note about the stars: I'm making a very, very, very (very, very) rough estimation that the stars over Japan would rotate a little due to the Earth moving. We know in the series that the north star is already a little wrong, in the world of Dr. Stone given Senku didn't use it for navigation correctly with the sextant he made. Polaris is the north star now in some 100,000 years it should be Vega, which is to the west, so. Instead of the night sky of Japan, we're using the night sky of Vladivostok, Russia, just a little to the west at least in visible sky terms. Either way, just a note since that's a science I can't easily lookup. It's just a best guess. :)  
> The sky map: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/russia/vladivostok  
> On Betelgeuse dying: https://globalnews.ca/news/6414358/betelgeuse-dying-supernova/#:~:text=Betelgeuse%2C%20the%20normally%20bright%20red,in%20the%20sky%20above%20Earth.  
> Orion and it's stars: https://freestarcharts.com/orion  
> Japanese Conteslation Names: http://www.renshaworks.com/jastro/constell.htm  
> On the title: "Basically, it’s someone who would prefer a practical gift over a beautiful one. Someone who is more pragmatic than superficial. Because you can eat a dumpling and not be hungry anymore. Flowers are only to look at." https://www.fluentin3months.com/japanese-proverbs/  
> I think that's everything! Thanks for reading.


	7. If a Fish is Kind to the Water, The Water Will Be Kind to the Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umeka spends her day getting involved with lots of little projects but when it becomes overwhelming Senku sets up a sweet surprise.

Umeka woke with a loud snort, her body jolting against the hay, “huh? Where…?” She sat up slowly, her eyes wandering around in confusion until they fell on Senku who was smirking back at her.

He was still snickering over her snorting awake, making her turn red when she realized, “Welcome back, you’ve been having a nice nap while I’ve been working.”

“When did I fall asleep?” She asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

“Oh, you coaxed yourself to sleep somewhere around...uh the middle of the story of the big guy himself,” Senku said, pointing lazily at Orion.

Umeka yawned, leaning her head on Senku and ignoring how stiff he went under her touch, “Do you want me to finish the story?”

He was quiet for a moment, she could feel the nerves radiating off of him. Frozen from just her temple resting on the point of his shoulder, but if he wasn’t going to ask her to move she thought she’d stay. It was comforting, even if he was clearly a little unsettled. She could hear him turn toward her, “What with you still half asleep. Please save me from that torture.”

She laughed weakly, looking down at his chart, “You got a lot done.”

He yawned loudly, stretching and knocking her off, leaving her blinking, “Sure did! I should get a nap in I guess, before the day starts.”

She sniffed, squinting at him for brushing her away. 

“C’mon,” he nodded his head to the side, foot fumbling for a ladder rung. 

Umeka grinned, sliding off the edge and landing feet first, dropping to a squat to lessen the pressure on her legs, she stood and turned toward him, grinning at the deadpanned look on his face, “Want me to hold the ladder for you?”

“No I think I got it but that you for the condescension, Princess Mononoke,” he said, rolling his eyes and climbing down. He rolled up the paper and bopped her on the head.

“Fine, I deserve that,” she said, still ghosting her fingers over where he popped her as though it hurt.

“I appreciate the help though,” he sighed, picking at his ear again, “so climb up any time you think you can keep your eyes open.”

She rolled her eyes and followed him up the other ladder into the science hut where Chrome and Gen slept peacefully. They crawled into their beds quietly, Senku making a show of yawning and flopping down. She pulled her covers around her shoulders snuggly, easily dozing back off again.

⛮⛮⛮

Tsukasa couldn’t bring himself to take anything from her house but a small necklace he’d found, broken off on a branch at the treeline, probably ripped off when she ran. It was simple, just a chord tied around what appeared to be one of the dogs' fangs. He’d tied it around his wrist, his fingers rubbing over it as he thought. He knew the decision he’d come to with Hyoga was the right one. They couldn’t attack an island fortress in winter, not when the water would freeze. Without Umeka they’d have to work even harder to survive the winter, especially if they were going to expand the army for the coming fight in spring. All of that was important, more important, in fact than the part of their conversation that rung in his head.

‘Homura confirmed your suspicions...the girl Umeka is with the Kingdom of Science,’ Hyoga had informed him, his eyes opening briefly, sharply focused on him.

It was one of the few times where Hyoga showed himself. His true self. The deepest part of him that was always assessing the strength of those around him. Hyoga was loyal, but only because he was stronger, and if he ever showed too much weakness Hyoga would take his chance to overthrow him.

He’d managed to control himself, to moderate his reaction to the news. In truth, he wasn’t as upset as he thought. At least if she were there she wouldn’t be in danger all winter, she’d have food and shelter but she’d also have time with Senku and his friends and ideas. If she took to them then when he came back in spring, even if he ensured her safety as he intended to, she may run. If Senku’s group fought too hard and it resulted in deaths, Umeka may never forgive him.

For now, he couldn’t do anything but hope the take over went as peaceably as possible and Umeka could see reason as she hadn’t before. He visited her home, occasionally, ensuring it wasn’t overgrown or infested with anything from the forest. Ready for her when she had to come back.

⛮⛮⛮

“Umeka!” Chrome cheered when she climbed down in the morning, “I need your help!”

She yawned, blinking at him sadly, “I just woke up.”

“I haven’t slept!” he grabbed her hand, dragging her along, “Me and Kaseki are working on a project and we need your help. And the dogs, can the dogs come? Cause if the dogs could come and help that would be bad.”

“Why would you want them then?” she tilted her head, pulling out her whistle anyway.

“What? Oh! I mean it would be good,” He laughed, “you know like bad not like bad.”

He turned back when she was quiet, she blinked, then blew the whistle, all seven dogs charging up to join her, Suika still clinging to one laughing as she bobbed along.

“Suika!” Chrome shouted, “leave the dog alone, we’ve got important science work to do they can’t just keep playing all the time.”

“The dog has a name,” Umeka frowned, picked Suika up, “it’s Sentai and playing is fine cause Suika is small. You should get to play.”

“Oh, I wasn’t playing!” Suika smiled, “I was just trying to tie him to the spinny thing! Senku thought trained dogs might be better at making the wheely thing spin better than Kinro and Ginro but it didn’t work.”

“Oh okay well, they can help with my spinny thing,” Chrome said proudly, “but it’s top-secret so I’m not saying anything else.”

“Then do I still have to go?” Umeka frowned.

Chrome turned to her, drawing his face sarcastically, “Yes! We need you real quick it’ll be great.”

“But I wanna know about the spinny thing,” she pouted more, but Chrome grabbed her hand anyway dragging her behind him into the woods the dogs following along behind her.

“The spinny thing is a ‘gear’ Senku made to help us made the gold thread, which we need to make the phone-”

Umeka stopped so hard his arm jerked, “Phone?!” He blinked, turning around to look at her. Her eyes were huge, mouth open slightly, “You said a phone?”

“Yeah,” Chrome said, his voice concerned until he remembered, “oh duh yeah you’re from the future too so you know what it is. That’s good! You can probably help us make it better then.”

He pulled her along again, as she mumbled, “No...I definitely can’t.”

“Can you tell me about phones?” Chrome asked, glancing back at her as they walked, “just cause, Senku explained all the stuff about air pressure and things but...why? Did people in your time have to talk to others so much? Why not just go and talk to them?”

“Uhhh….” she drawled, sounding like she was thinking hard, “phones in our time did way more than that though. You could send written messages to people...and you could take pictures...uh you could look stuff up and play games. That’s what I mostly did, my mom had a whole folder of apps for me to play with.”

“That...is so….bad!” Chrome screamed, making birds fly out of a nearby tree. Umeka smiled at him, looking amused, the way Gen did when he experienced something from the past for the first time. A look like the one you give a kid that’s just trying to learn how to walk. Her eyes shifted suddenly to the tree line, seeming amazed by all the work he and Kaseki had gotten done in the past day. 

“What...are you doing?” She asked, eyes glancing around at all the wood.

“Umeka!” Kaseki called happily from on top of a big wooden circle, “your planes have been a big help I’m glad I was around yesterday.”

She smiled up at him, “that’s good but what is this?”

“A forever spinny cotton candy machine!” Kaseki called down, Chrome turned to her nodding happily.

⛮⛮⛮

Her mouth watered, “A cotton...candy machine?”

“Huh?” Chrome raised an eyebrow at her, “Yeah! Senku was making cotton candy that day you arrived. Come to think of it….maybe that’s why that Homura girl didn’t snag you. She was probably eating it! The next day when I went down to where he’d left it it was gone!”

“Is there more cotton candy?” she asked quickly, glancing back at the village.

“Eh...Senku can make more, I guess,” Chrome said over his shoulder, busying himself with some large hunk of wood and she walked back towards the trees, intent on getting cotton candy, “Hey hey hey!” he shouted chasing her and just catching her hand before she reached the forest, “where are you going?!”

“But the cotton candy…” she pouted. It had been years since she had anything sweet that wasn’t a fruit. 

“I didn’t mean now!” Chrome frowned at her, “later! We don’t need help for long!”

She groaned, “fine fine...what do you need?”

“Can we use the dogs to pull these big trees up?” Chrome asked, gesturing to a fork-shaped wooden trunk, “It’ll be pretty hard for just me and Kaseki and I was hoping to keep it a secret until it’s done. I’m proud of my invention you know so I wanna show it to Senku fully working!”

“Chrome’s really on to something with this, Umeka,” Kaseki called, “I just know Senku is going to be floored.”

Something told her that wasn’t the case but she smiled anyway, gazing at the shaped wood that looked familiar to her in a way she couldn’t place, “hmmm….they’ve pulled things before but...I don’t know...I think…,” she pushed her foot to one end, “if you blocked it so it couldn’t slide, then tied the rope to the far end the tree should have no choice but to flip up. I guess...the problem would be pulling it too far…”

“But it’s possible?”

“Oh sure,” Umeka blinked, “I mean probably. I don’t know. I know we can try it though.”

“I like how she thinks!” Kaseki yelled, barely audible over his saw.

“Do you have a rope? I’ll see if I can make a harness,” she said, plopping down to the ground and gesturing for Saiyan to stand by her. 

“Oh sure, sure,” Chrome said chipperly, gathering her some, he passed it to her and crouched on the other side of Saiyan watching her work. She used the same techniques she’d learned as a kid, tying notes to secure things in the garden or make holders for pots and the funny historical techniques her grandfather taught her. Chrome looked amazed, trying to track her hands as she wove a harness around Saiyan, “wait wait….how are you doing that.”

She laughed a little, knowing Senku would tease her for what she was going to say, “it’s a combination of macrame and a Japanese martial art form called Hojojutsu which was all about binding captives. Though,” she paused staring off into space. “Grandpa said it developed into something else I wasn’t allowed to know about so maybe it’s not a good thing to do.”

“Well! I’m glad you know it,” Chrome grinned, “I wanna try. Here,” he patted the ground and Sazae came over, waiting patiently for the rope to be tied. Chrome was a surprisingly quick study, and with his help, they had all of the dogs rigged up in no time.

“Okay,” Umeka took a deep breath, “let’s give it a shot,” she whistled sharply with her fingers in her mouth and all the dogs pulled. The tree rocked up quickly and went to continue falling over. Chrome, Kaseki, and her yelled reaching out and grabbing the large wooden pole in a tight hug. For a moment they all rocked and she thought they would tumble over under it but instead, the tree rocked back once more and settled into its new spot.

Umeka sighed, falling back on the ground, “That was scary.”

“Uh...yeah...we have to do it again...like...three more times,” Chrome admitted sheepishly. 

She sat up and frowned at him, feeling tricked and betrayed, but she got up anyway. No use pouting when she’d done so much for her by taking her in, she might as well do all she could to help them out.

⛮⛮⛮

Umeka, Chrome, and Kaseki had been missing all day and so had the pack which was beginning to eat at Senku’s nerves. He tried to hide it but ever seen the attack on the village he worried whenever one of the group was out of his view, especially if he didn’t know where they were supposedly at.

When Umeka came out of the forest with the dogs inexplicably in rope harnesses he headed over, “Is everything okay over there?”

“Yeah and…” Gen said, walking up behind him, his expression twitching slightly as a bead of sweat rolled down his face, “why…are the dogs...tied like that?”

“Like?” Umeka blinked at them, “Oh! Do you know?’

Senku raised his eyebrow expectantly at Gen who sputtered, “No. I think I will wait until you explain what it actually is and then I’ll decide if it’s something I’m going to share out loud or not.”

“...it’s...Hojojutsu, or sort of, tying techniques my grandpa taught me,” Umeka narrowed her eyes, “What do you think it is.”

“Nope.”

“Oh come on! You must know the thing Grandpa said I couldn’t know. I’m older now. So tell me!”

Gen laughed in a high pitch, “Absolutely not!”

Senku smirked at him, “What why not, Umeka wants to know, you know, clearly. Sharing knowledge is important to the advancement of society, after all.”

Suddenly Gen’s expression turned wicked in a way that made Senku wish he hadn’t spoken, “Well why don’t you tell her, you seem to know, and you are our main things-explaineryay around here.”

Umeka wheeled on him, expectantly staring at him with her wide amber eyes, brows furrowed as she leaned in at him making him sweat and swallow hard, “No.”

Her face drew into a comically large frown, then she crossed her arms over her chest, “that’s not fair. I’m sure my grandpa was gonna tell me when I got as old as I am now.”

Gen snickered slightly, scratching his cheek, “Somehow I doubt that.”

She looked at him, then her eyes slowly drifted back to Senku. Then suddenly her expression softened in realization, “Oh...it’s something dirty isn’t it.”

Senku sputtered, folding over slightly with shock before busting out laughing as Gen did the same. Umeka tried to smile slightly, but she suddenly looked embarrassed, turning a little pink and looking off out of the corner of her eye, “that’s fine just don’t tell me then, okay?”

Senku was still laughing slightly as he talked, “I’d be happy not to. Now, tell me how the other two are, you don’t have to tell me what they’re working on I just wanna make sure everything is okay.”

She smiled, “I think they’re fine. Other than not sleeping. And I think they aren’t going to until they’re done and it seems like it’ll take a long time.”

He shrugged, “Eh that’s fine.”

“Hey, Senku?”

“Yeah? What?”

“Chrome…” she seemed to get bashful suddenly, puffing out her cheeks like she wasn’t sure how to bridge the topic which was funny given she’d just been pressing him to explain how her dogs' harnesses had a striking resemblance to a BDSM art, “Well….he mentioned..cotton candy? So I was just wondering-”

“Oh….nope. Sorry,” he sighed.

“Senku!” Gen looked at him shocked like he’d just insulted her or something. 

“Look it’s not that I don’t want to it’s just we can’t right now. We’re working on the gold thread and if sugar gets on the thread it’ll ruin the connection,” he explained quickly, trying to ignore how crushed Umeka looked. She wasn’t like the villagers who wouldn’t have known what they were missing. Moreover, she had been a kid in the past anyway so more likely than not her attachment to sweets was even stronger than his or Gen’s. He sighed, rubbing his forehead, “We don’t have the time right now to build a new machine and I resued the parts so it’s not like we have the lumpy one just around but...if you can wait until we’re done with the wire, we can make it then. Okay?” he almost didn’t want to look at her but when he did she smiled and nodded.

“Sure, later sounds good,” then she turned and looked toward a pile of tools, “I’m gonna go cut the dogs free from their harnesses now cause I feel gross about it.” Then she was off, calling her dogs along without another thought.

“Make her,” Gen said suddenly smacking Senku with his sleeve, “some cotton candy, you monster!”

“Would you,” Senku said as he swatted back at Gen, “stop that! I wasn’t lying. Or being mean. Or lazy! We just can’t. And it sucks but we don’t have the time to stop and she missed it by a day. Okay?”

Gen frowned at him and looked like he’d say something else, then he scoffed, “Fine. I guess I’ll go find something to do since we don’t have any time.”

The sarcasm that dripped in Gen’s voice made Senku take a long blink, looking off to watch Umeka patiently cutting her dogs free. He’d have to think of something they could do for her, make her feel more welcome, and thank her for what she’d helped with so far. He’d just have to think a little harder to figure out what would make sense along the way.

⛮⛮⛮

Once the dogs were freed from their apparently gross ropes, Umeka took them hunting. The village definitely did have hunters in it but, they seemed more focused on opportunity. Maybe she’d learned it from the dogs but Umeka knew to look for printed in the dirt and grass, poop, broken twigs, and half-eaten berries. If you think like the pray, you can find the pray. She felt like she should bring a lot in, she hadn’t been able to bring everything she and Tsukasa got from the bear, it was way too much meat and she hadn’t smoked it all yet. So she took what was prepared and left the rest. As much as the thought made her stomach feel wiggly, she hoped Tsukasa had returned and taken it so it wouldn’t go to waste.

The hunt wasn’t long. The game in the area was way more abundant than at her own home. Now she was stuck trying to get four deer back to camp with tired dogs. A spark went off in her head, “Oh the big guy! Protect the deer, everyone!”

She ran through the trees, luckily they’d gotten them closer to the camp but there wasn’t a clear path big enough for the dogs to drag the deer without tearing them up and it wasn’t exactly a very efficient or clean way to transport them. Moreover, it made them really easy to track and that felt dangerous.

She busted through the trees searching the villagers' faces until they fell on the gigantic blonde man, they hadn’t spoken and she didn’t get a very friendly vibe from him but she did get the sense he liked to eat so, “Hi, could you help me?”

He scowled at her, “What, little woman? Think I wanna help you weave something?”

His smaller friend chuckled at his statement which, she guessed was supposed to be a joke but it wasn’t funny. She blinked at him, it seemed tiring to be so aggressive from the start, “No. I went hunting but it’s too much to carry back.”

“Oh, I’m sure. A few rabbits too heavy?”

Umeka looked around at some of the other villagers who were watching with tired expressions, “So...you’re just...like this? All the time?”

A group of young men started laughing and he yelled at them, smacking one upside the head, “That’s not nice!” she shouted, frowning up at him.

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“...I mean,” she blinked, “Nothing. It’s just not nice. I’ll just get it myself then, I thought you’d want to eat.”

“Magma!” his small friend yelled, “Go get the food so you can...you know…”

She looked between them, not knowing what he knew, apparently, but Magma suddenly changed his mind, “Yeah...okay. Sure. I’ll help.”

She stared at him, eyes squinting, then turned and lead him into the woods. 

“You know if you were going to hunt you could have brought a bag to carry the game back in, it’s not hard,” he said, scowling down at her.

She huffed, fixing her bow on her shoulder. It was better not to engage with bullies so she decided to stay quiet until they got to the deer. Then she waited for his shock to wear off, mimicking the condescending face he’d been making at her as he explained such basic things as having a bag.

“....Fine,” he admitted, not looking in her eye, “it’s impressive.”

“Thank you.”

He was able to carry two of the deer on his own, which was terrifying. And between Umeka and the dogs, they were able to carry them all, shifting things around when they got to places that were too awkward for the dog team to easily carry the deer. “Hold on,” Magma said, “I’ll carry these to the village and come get the other two, we’re close enough now.”

“Oh…” she smiled, “sure. Sounds good.”

She heard a commotion in the distance after a while, he must have arrived with the deer. She couldn’t keep a small proud smile from breaking across her face. She was glad they were excited about the deer and that it helped, she hoped three gave them enough food for now, and the fourth could go to the dogs who’d worked so hard for the day, much harder than they usually worked. She pet Sailor, “You’ve all been really great…! Good girl! So smart! Strong!” Sailor’s tail wagged and the other dogs wandered closer, waiting for their praise.

Magma came back through the trees, rolling his eyes at her praising and lifting the other two, “Okay if that’s it let's go.” 

She and the dogs followed after him and into the village but when they arrived the villagers cheered and circled Magma, chanting about how great he was for bringing in so much and how good they were going to eat. And he let them, laughing and holding his chin high. She couldn’t believe it. For a moment she was struck still, staring in shock. She looked at her blood and mud-soaked clothes then glanced at Suit to see if he was seeing this crazy scene. 

“Since when,” Kinro suddenly spoke from beside her, “did Magma hunt with a bow and arrow?”

The villagers went quiet seeing the wounds on the animals and looking at Magma who was sweating slightly. The villagers groaning at him when they realized.

Kinro just shook his head and looked at her, “Sorry,” his eyes shot coldly at Magma, “he actually does things like this more than you’d think,” he looked back at her, a pleasant smile on his face, “I’m sure you did all the work though and we appreciate it.”

She met Magma’s eyes, tilted her head back staring at him for a moment, a small grin broke onto her face, “Don’t worry I can give you some pointers. For hunting. Or for that weaving that you were talking about.”

He rolled his eyes heavily and then got distracted with villagers chiding him as they all took over the work of cleaning the deer.

“Oh wait,” Umeka said, walking into the bustle to grab a deer's legs, “this one goes to the dogs, sorry. But they can’t eat plants so.” They all seemed a little disappointed understandably, but no one would fight seven wolves for food so they let her drag it away with Kinro’s help, “you’re much nicer than I thought you were.”

He seemed hurt, blustering in shock slightly, “I...seemed mean?”

“Well...you pointed a spear at me.”

“The rules…” he swallowed awkwardly, “the rules are the rules so...any intruder.”

She considered teasing him for a moment but decided to let it go. He was genuinely nice after all, to step in on Magma’s glory hogging and to drag the deer with her. More importantly, he didn’t seem like the type that would handle being teased well, not like Senku who seemed completely unbothered when she joked with him. She yawned, looking at the sky and the dim stars that were beginning to show. She thought it might be a little difficult for her but she wanted to climb onto the roof and tell Senku more stories, but this time she’d remember to bring a blanket.

⛮⛮⛮

Dinner in the village was in a big circle that night, everyone eating the results of Umeka’s hunting trip. The meat was good, especially after a day of hard work and it had gotten everyone so excited they forgot about all the grueling effort that was going into getting ready for winter and starting the work on the cell phone. Smaller kids had started playing war with larger bones and others were working on their meals, laughing and talking about the day but Senku didn’t see Umeka anywhere among the main group.

He glanced around again until he noticed, off behind the science hut, a dim orange glow. Another fire. His eyes narrowed suspiciously and he sighed, pushing up from where he sat and walking over, with his hunt of meat still in hand ignoring Ginro calling after him. When he reached the fire, sure enough, Umeka was alone with the dogs sitting by her own little fire eating her dinner.

“Hey this is,” he said, sitting down across from her, “way to kid-that-eats-lunch-alone-in-homeroom, sad.”

“I ate lunch in homeroom.”

“Okay. I was talking about high school, thank you.”

“Oh,” she avoided looking him in the eye.

“Is this Magma related?”

“Oh,” she shrugged, “No. I don’t care about that. I just...wanted to sit alone.”

“Explain?”

She smiled lightly at the callback, the rubbed a hand on her cheek comically hard, pulling at her skin or pushing her cheek up so high her eye seemed closed, “It’s just a lot of people and I don’t know most of them and it’s loud…I’m not used to stuff like that. I spent all day almost with people so I guess...it just made me tired.”

He nodded, rubbing his neck. He wished he still had that stupid cotton candy machine, it felt like a treat would improve the moment. Then it hit him and he jumped to his feet, “Come on.”

“Huh?” He groaned and grabbed her arm, trying to drag her up but floundering slightly, “This isn’t making me feel good about myself, Senku,” she frowned standing up and going with him.

“Oh trust me you’ll feel better in a minute,” he grinned, “we just need a few things from upstairs, come on.”

He climbed up quickly, glancing back to make sure she was following.

“Here,” he said, lifting a basket of leftover berries onto the science table, “pick your favorite.”

She raised her eyebrow at him but when he waved his hand she set about sifting through them. He pulled out the sugar, a little water, and the potassium bitartrate, then he flicked on the little bunsen burner and waited for her to pick her berries. 

She held out a small mikan, “what are you doing?”

He snatched it from her hand making her twitch back, pealing it furiously and squeezing the juice into the glass, then tossed the flesh back to her. She barely caught it before it hit her face, her eyebrows furrowing deeper.

“Just eat that and stop trying to ruin the surprise,” he smirked.

She pouted at him but set about pulling apart the small pieces and eating them, still studying what he was doing. When the juice cooked down enough, filling the room with the smell, he started tossing things in, “A little water, some sugar which we got from messed up wine and,” he grinned, shaking the small flash of white power, “ potassium bitartrate, also a byproduct of winemaking known in the culinary world as tartaric acid or cream of tartar.”

“Oh,” she said, her mouth obstructed by the orange, “I’ve heard of that.”

“Most homes have it,” he smirked, stirring eagerly, “it’s a thickening agent, you’re probably more used to corn syrup in these but we don’t have corn so. No corn syrup.”

She almost looked agitated, not with him really, more like he’d told her a riddle she couldn’t figure out and it was bothering her, “...and you think I’ve had this?”

“Oh I’m,” he paused, turning to find a small bamboo stick and trying to search his cabinets for something to make a suitable mold, “certain you have.” He found a small strip of metal, that would have to do. He curled it with his fingers, leaving a gap so he could uncurl it once it cooled. He was making a small one so the mixture was already bubbling pleasantly, thick enough to pour, so he set it on the glass and took the beaker off carefully, glancing up at Umeka who still looked confused, that is until he poured.

As soon as the small sugary circle formed on the glass she smiled, only growing wider when he carefully placed the bamboo stick, “A lollipop.”

“Ten billion points to Umeka,” he grinned, looking at the messy creation. Without dyes, it had turned a muddy brownish color and he doubted it was going to be as sweet and addictive as the lollipops they were used to. But sugar was sugar and after so many years without it, it stood to reason it might strike her the same as the cotton candy had the villagers. 

She glanced at the beaker, “It looks like there’s enough for two, make one for yourself.”

“Are you just trying to sucker me?”

She frowned at the joke, “No I just think if I get poisoned you should too.”

“That’s dark but fine,” he set his own up, “don’t have to twist my arm.”

It was quiet for a while, just the two of them standing across the table waiting for the lollipops to cool. It felt a little awkward in the silence, but it was also nice after such a busy day to be quiet but not alone. Umeka reached a finger out going to touch her lollipop and Senku grabbed her hand just at the last second, “One millimeter closer and you’re going to get an insanely painful burn, sugar looks cool way before it is.”

She frowned, “Then why didn’t you make them and then show me this waiting is awful.”

He laughed, “Geeze you really were a kid weren’t you. Quit whining! You’ll get the lollipop soon. You’ve waited thousands of years you can wait a few more minutes.”

She rolled her eyes, pouting, and he realized he was still holding her hand, “If I let go are you going to try to keep touching the lollipop?”

“You never know,” She grinned.

“...Is this just a ploy to hold my hand then?”

She paused for a moment, her smile slowly growing wider in a way that made Senku almost unbearably, unplaceably nervous, “You never know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 Notes!  
> On Hojojutsu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoj%C5%8Djutsu  
> Note: Yes, if it's not clear the joke is that this martial art form pretty quickly got developed into Kinbaku or as it's known more commonly in the west Shibari and if you don't know what those be cautious about when and if you google cause I'm not helping with that :)  
> Make lollipops! https://snappyliving.com/homemade-lollipops/  
> On Cream of Tartar! https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cream-of-tartar/  
> On the title: "This proverb simply means that if a person shows kindness to someone else, their kindness will be returned. It is simple and easy to remember and is a good reminder for us all to show respect to others." https://www.tsunagujapan.com/20-japanese-proverbs-that-will-teach-you-a-lesson/

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 Notes:  
> Snare traps: https://achievingadventure.com/blogs/cleversurvivalist/2013/07/29/how-to-build-a-snare-trap-9-sprung-spear-trap-hogs-security/  
> A video on stilt houses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGm721PnXHI
> 
> Measurements: As they are Japanese and utilize the metric system in the anime and the manga I decided to keep that cosistant in this fic, for anyone who uses imperial;  
> "a few kilometers" this just a general amount but given a few normal means "like three" it would be about 1.8 or "a couple" of miles  
> "30/45 centimeters" Umeka initially underestimates Tsukasa's height due to their distance thinking he's a foot taller, in truth he's 1.5 feet taller than her, standing at 6'8" (according to the series artist, Boichi) where Umeka is only 5'1".  
> The chapter names: the chapters are all named after Japanese idioms or proverbs, this one comes from a phrase that can be translated into the title here's some more information and its source below,  
> "Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会), is a Japanese idiom that is often translated as “for this time only,” “never again,” or “one chance in a lifetime.” The term reminds people to cherish any gathering that they may take part in, citing the fact that many meetings in life are not repeated. Even when the same group of people can get together again, a particular gathering will never be replicated, and thus, each moment is always once-in-a-lifetime."  
> https://ikimasho.net/2018/10/29/one-life-one-encounter-%E4%B8%80%E6%9C%9F%E4%B8%80%E4%BC%9A/
> 
> That's all for this time, thank you!


End file.
